Mission Unbelievable
by TheCurseDoll-Beelzenef
Summary: Erza is sent to team up with Jellal for a mission, one that's going to be very interesting and a bit...unbelievable. How are the two going to fare on this mission that seems to constantly put them in awkward situations? (Rated T for now)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: HERE WE GO GUYS! Here is the Jerza sequel (?) to my sort of ongoing gruvia fic _Wanted: Gray Fullbuster_, if you haven't read that though, don't worry about it! ;)**

**Welp anyway i don't own Fairy Tail but here's my fics chapter one, i dedicate it and this whole fic (that makes me sound really full of myself, but oh well) to my buddy on her birthday! I hope you all like this first chapter!**

**Chapter 1-**

If one was to look at Erza Scarlet as she sat primly on the trundling night train to Azolla Town, they would not be able to tell that butterflies swam in her stomach or that her heart was fluttering madly against her chest. No, they would think she was the picture of serenity; the armoured mage always _had_ been good at concealing her emotions after all.

She had a feeling she would be using that particular skill a lot during this upcoming mission. She sighed and curled her metal clad fingers around the hem of her navy blue skirt nervously as a certain face appeared unbidden in her mind's eye.

Jellal.

She sighed again and stared out at the darkening scenery bouncing along outside the window as she pictured his handsome, tattooed face. His appearance hadn't changed all that much in seven years; he had only become even more attractive in her opinion, swapping any hint of boyishness for something much more alluring.

_Erza!_ she mentally scolded herself, _focus on the mission_, _we're after a dangerous dark mage, we can't afford to be distracted!_

She repeated that to herself several times, hoping it would become etched inside her and stop her from thinking about Jellal.

_Well, I _do_ actually need to think about him_, she told herself, _but I mustn't think anything inappropriate, I've got to be professional. I can't dwell on how soft his hair looks or how his eyes seem to say a thousand things in one glance and I definitely must _not_ think about how it felt when we almost kissed…_

Her cheeks heated and she huffed out a breath in annoyance as her body tingled at the memory. She mentally and physically shook herself before determinedly setting about making a list of all the armour she had brought over the years, _that_ should keep her busy for a while…

The train began to slow, making Erza's heart speed up. She would be meeting with Jellal very soon. Her stomach twisted into a knot. How had she gotten herself into this?

Her expression changed to show her annoyance. Mira. That she-demon Mirajane had neglected to tell her that Jellal was the 'other half of the team' until _after_ she had accepted, knowing full well that Erza couldn't change her mind or back down.

_At least it shouldn't be a difficult mission or a particularly long one_, thought the redhead hopefully.

The train screeched to a stop and immediately she got to her feet and headed out of the compartment. Her blood was cold with nervousness but she forced herself to keep exiting the clunky transport and push through the crowds of people. The outside air chilled her and cheekily tugged at her skirt.

She glanced around for the tall, skinny employee who had organised the separate carriage for her luggage earlier.

"Miss Scarlet!" squeaked a voice from somewhere to her left, "Miss Scarlet!"

She turned and observed the employee from earlier that day. He was accompanied by a team of three and they were struggling to pull along her enormous wagon of bags and suitcases.

"Excellent," she said once they stopped before her, already feeling more secure now her belongings were back with her.

The men all panted and wiped the sweat from their brows. She nodded at them in acknowledgement and took the handle of the heavily loaded wagon, easily pulling it along behind her. She only took a few steps because she heard the squeaky man call out to her.

"M-miss Scarlet?" he asked tremulously.

She looked over her shoulder at him, "Yes, what is it?"

He fidgeted under her dark gaze and mumbled, "P-payment?"

Erza frowned, "What are you talking about? I already paid you."

The man paled, his face gaining a nervous sheen, "F-forgive m-me, M-miss Scarlet, b-but-"

"You're trying to tell me I _didn't_ pay for your services?" she demanded icily.

He simply squeaked.

"Are you doubting my word?" Erza questioned.

One of the other employees, a rotund and bespectacled man, stepped forward as the first man fainted.

"N-not at all," he said, his gaze bouncing around as he pulled at his uniform collar, "H-he w-was mistaken."

"I'm free to go then?" Erza raised an eyebrow.

They nodded furiously and she puffed out her breath, irritated by the delay when she clearly remembered paying them earlier. She started off again, going through the archway and off the platform into the modest, tiled train station.

She got halfway across the large room before she stopped and remembered she was supposed to be meeting her 'partner.'

Those employees had washed the matter and her nerves from her mind, but now it all flooded back to her. Her heartbeat galloped under her armour plated chest and her grip on the handle tightened. She peered around, watching the shadows cast by the stone columns and searching for the place Jellal would be concealing himself.

"Erza?"

She would never admit it, but she jumped at the sound of his low, smooth voice. Her sharp eyes turned to see Jellal Fernandes right beside her, a large bag on his back and his dark blue hood pulled up to help hide his distinctive face.

He wasn't wearing his normal outfit beneath his cloak, just black pants, boots and a deep red shirt which she had the strange desire to touch. Her stomach clenched and she forced herself to school her features as she nodded to him in greeting.

"Jellal."

She watched his green eyes briefly glide over her; she inwardly squirmed and wished she had worn something a bit nicer than just her normal attire.

_Don't be stupid Ezra_, she instructed herself, _impressing Jellal is _not_ part of the mission. _

She tensed as his expression morphed into a slight frown.

"Something wrong?" she questioned.

He hesitated before answering, "No…I just didn't know it was going to be you."

"Yes, well…The mission's objective is to take down a powerful mage and it requires two S-class level mages and I was the only one around for some reason and so Mira and Master Makarov decided…well, you know…obviously."

She winced at her explanation and cursed her inability to think straight with him so near. He gave her a little smile and her insides swirled delightedly. Then it seemed that Jellal only just noticed the mountain of suitcases she had brought along, but he, wisely, said nothing about them.

"Shall we get going then?" Erza asked, almost in challenge.

He nodded and they walked through the wide doors of the station and into the night time air, the red haired mage praising herself all the while for being able to move her shaky legs properly.

Azolla Town was large and filled with rough stone cabin-like houses and it seemed that everything was done in one size only, 'big.'

Jellal and Erza now found themselves on what appeared to be the fat main road of the vast town; they paused and spared a glance up at the dimming sky that was becoming spattered with diamonds.

"I've never been to this town before," she remarked.

"Neither have I," responded Jellal thoughtfully, "Where are we supposed to be headed?"

Her mind blanked for a moment and then, thankfully, she recalled the information.

"Juvia had a mission here not long ago; she said the people were very, very thankful to her. She also said she talked with them and organised a place for us to stay at one of the inns, Sunnysmile I believe it was."

Jellal raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

Erza continued, "I think I know the way to it from here, let's go."

They strode in silence for several minutes, each of them trying to force themselves to ask questions about how the other has been. They both proved to be too shy however and so the walk was heavy with awkward quietness.

Up ahead, a tall and heavy looking building jutted out on the left hand side of the street. It had a sign dangling down above its generous doorway that declared it to be the inn they were going to be staying at.

"It looks quite nice," said Erza, mildly and pleasantly surprised.

Jellal nodded and added dryly, "It's certainly better than a few of the places I've stayed in over the years."

She looked sharply over at him, instantly imagining his life on the run and feeling a stab of sadness. He coughed awkwardly and regretted having said anything.

"Sh-shall we go inside then?" he suggested, stumbling over his words just a little.

She eyed him sadly and then caught herself. She straightened and locked her gaze on the light spilling out from the inn before swiftly walking towards it.

At the doorway, Jellal was sure there was no way all of Erza's luggage would make it into the building, so he was surprised when the redhead waved her hand in a casual manner and made the whole pile of suitcases transform into miniature version of itself, one that would easily make it through the door.

"It's only temporary," she told him, noticing his interest, "I've made it so it'll revert to its original size once out of the inn again."

She didn't give him a chance to say anything for fear he would admonish her decision to bring so much in the first place, not knowing that he had actually been going to praise her skill.

She pushed into Sunnysmile's rustic lobby and moved straight for the chunky reception desk where a plump, green haired man was sitting rather tiredly. The man immediately perked up at the sight of his new guests, though the mysterious and hooded Jellal did give him pause.

"Welcome to Sunnysmile Inn!" the man chirped, "Where every service is done with a sunny smile. My name is Mr Davden, how can I help you?"

Jellal hovered behind Erza, keeping his face hidden while he glanced around the rest of the room. He noted the several unattractive potted plants and the 'unique' paintings as well as the layout. Through the door on their right, he could see a dining room set up with many tables and chairs, while through a door on the left he could see a room filled with couches and armchairs. There was a wide staircase next to the reception desk that of course led to the upper floors.

"Oh!" cried Mr Davden, "You must be the mages from Fairy Tail! The ones Miss Juvia told me about!"

Before either of them could respond, the man excitedly jiggled his way around the desk after picking up a key and then waved them to follow him.

"This way! This way!" he called, "Your room's already arranged!"

They followed Mr Davden up the staircase and when the three of them reached the landing of the second floor, the man made an interesting comment.

"You're rather lucky we had a room for you, all our others are full."

Suspicion crept through Jellal and he watched Erza's face to see if she was feeling the same thing. Her striking features were completely smooth, she didn't have an inkling.

"And here it is!" Mr Davden exclaimed, pointing to room 211.

He stepped forward and unlocked the room, pushing open the door with a flourish. He led them inside the simple room, turning on the light and then telling them of the private bathroom their room had attached before listing the various amenities that would also be available to them.

Erza folded her arms and questioned, "Alright, so what about the other room?"

"Other room?" asked Mr Davden with a confused smile, "I'm not sure what you mean."

Jellal sighed quietly to himself and stepped closer to Erza, whispering in her ear, "It seems we're going to be roommates for this mission."

Her dark eyes grew wide as she turned pale and glanced around the room. Her gaze settled on the double bed set in the centre of the back wall. Suddenly her hair and name wasn't the only thing in the room that was scarlet.

"U-unbelievable," she muttered as her body heated up in embarrassed horror.

**AN: hehe oh the old 'only one room/bed' cliche, gotta love it ;) I'm still trying to get used to writing Jerza, so please bear with me :D I hope you liked the chapter, i would like to hear what you think so far :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wow! I cant believe all the nice reviews i got for the first chapter! I hope this one doesn't disappoint you!**

**Chapter 2-**

Mr Davden, oblivious to Erza's discomfort, scuttled out of the room after giving Jellal the room key and telling them that dinner would be served in an hour. Silence settled in after the echo of the door being shut died down. Jellal tried not to be amused at the way his partner in this mission was frozen in a state of red cheeked disbelief. He stepped around her and locked the door.

"J-jellal," Erza said shakily, "What are you doing?"

He glanced back to her as he explained, "We can't have anyone barging in here, they might see and recognise me."

As the woman's face flushed again, Jellal had to turn away and busy himself by placing his backpack on the bed in order to stop himself from being affected by her. Erza almost hated the way being locked in a room with him made her entire being light up, though she certainly _did_ hate the blush that came with it.

She cleared her throat and then set about moving her luggage into empty corner of the room so that it wouldn't take up so much space.

"Erza."

She turned to see Jellal sitting on the edge of the perfectly made bed; he rested his elbows on his knees so he was leaning forward slightly and he had pushed back his dark hood.

"I know this," he gestured to the two of them, "isn't exactly ideal and if I could change it, I would."

She thought she didn't react to the pain those words inflicted, but he had watched her expression carefully, as he always did.

"Don't misunderstand," he quickly added, "I only mean it can't be easy on you to have me around…a constant reminder of our past and my sins."

"Good save," she muttered, sighing a little in relief.

"If it helps…" he started and then he frowned, "No, never mind."

She took a few steps and stood before him, staring down at his head of soft looking, shaggy blue hair. She clenched her fists to stop herself from reaching out to touch him.

"What?" she asked softly, "If what helps?"

He sighed and then looked up at her; meeting her eyes and making her feel a tingle throughout her body.

"When we were children…" he said slowly, glancing away for a second and then returning his eyes to hers, "We always used to sleep together."

He abruptly tensed, his eyes widening, "You know what I mean!"

Erza surprised him by chuckling, "I do."

Then she added, "I'm sure we'll be fine…unless you snore of course, then I'll have to take some drastic measures."

A faint smile curved his lips, "I seem to recall it being _you_ who snored."

She thunked him on the head with her fist.

"Erza!" he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot.

"No more cheek from you, Mister," she ordered, moving away from him and heading towards the bathroom on the other side of the bed.

He continued to massage his head as he watched her disappear behind the door, then he shook it in amazement at what had just happened. They had seemed so…normal, like friends. It was a miracle in his opinion, and probably one he didn't deserve.

On the other side of the door, in the bathroom, Erza rested her forehead against the cool wood. Her limbs were barely there, she felt so weak, surprised at her little interaction with Jellal, at how bold she had been.

_This is good_, she reassured herself, _to become comfortable around one another is…good. Damn, my heart is racing._

She took several deep breaths to calm herself and then decided she should freshen up and change her outfit for dinner. But what should she wear?

_And there goes my sense of calm…_

She turned and glared at her reflection in the rectangular mirror on the wall. _Take one thing at a time, that's what I need to do._

The dress she requipped into was black and had a plunging neckline. She considered it for less than a second and then tried several other outfits.

_This mission hasn't even officially started and it's already killing me…_

Eventually, after she realised she had been in the bathroom for over fifteen minutes, Erza settled on a pleated black skirt, her normal boots and a dark purple turtleneck. Her hair was up in a ponytail and it tickled her back as she moved back over to the door. She hoped Jellal didn't think she was a weirdo for staying in the little room for so long…she then growled at herself for caring and yanked open the door.

He had taken off his cloak and was resting on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She leaned against the doorway, folding her arms as she watched him.

"You seem to be having deep thoughts there," she forced herself to remark, "Something troubling you?"

To her surprise, Jellal turned faintly pink. She thought maybe she was imagining things but then he sat up slowly and she could indeed see his blush.

_C-cute…_

"No, not at all," he answered, staring determinedly in every direction but the one she was in. Seeing his skin tinged with embarrassment had completely wiped out Erza's mind, she couldn't even remember what she had asked him and so she just nodded.

Painful silence descended on them as they both avoided eye contact. After several minutes, Jellal found he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting over to her anymore. He gripped the bedding in his left hand tightly, where she wouldn't see, as his gaze roamed over her.

She stared her feet, and so he began there and then slowly travelled up her long, shapely legs before gliding over her flat stomach and up higher…

_What am I doing?_ he thought in self-disgust, _I have no right to look at her._

He tore his eyes away as guilt filled him and pressed down upon his shoulders.

"Juvia and Gray are together now."

He snapped his attention back to her, startled by her casual comment.

"Are they?" he responded interestedly, "How did that happen?"

The thought of the water mage melted away some of the heaviness Jellal was swimming in. She was an interesting and intelligent woman and it warmed him to hear she had finally gotten her 'Gray-sama.'

"Mira and I may have helped them along a bit," Erza spoke up with a hint of sheepishness.

Jellal quirked an eyebrow at the thought of Erza playing matchmaker and then asked, "And Gray…returns Juvia's feelings?"

The redhead smirked, "Yes, he does."

Folding his arms, Jellal told her, "Make sure to warn him for me."

Erza tilted her head in question, prompting him to explain.

"If he ever hurts Juvia, I'll have another sin to atone for because I'll make him regret his actions."

Tightening her muscles so she wouldn't fidget at the uncomfortable, dark feeling swirling in her gut, Erza said, "I never got the impression that you knew Juvia very well or were very close to her."

Jellal shrugged a little, "We had a few deep conversations during the first few nights of the Grand Magic Games."

"Oh," sighed Erza, "And I suppose she told you all about how wonderful Gray is?"

A small smile tugged at his mouth, "For a while, yes, but she also wanted to talk about the other members of the guild…you for example."

"Me?" questioned Erza, mildly incredulous, "You talked about me?"

Jellal rubbed the back of his neck, "Yes."

"Well, what was said exactly?" she asked, worried that Juvia had exaggerated things and made her sound like a complete monster.

She wasn't prepared for the answer she received.

"She said you were lonely," Jellal spoke quietly.

"Really," stated Erza, her expression hardening, "and what did you say to that?"

The blue haired man chewed his cheek for a moment, looking away.

"I said that there was nothing I could do about that."

"I see," Erza sighed, her chest tightening painfully.

The heaviness that was starting to become commonplace between them, settled in once more, filled with the words they would never say.

"Excuse me," came Mr Davden from the other side of their room's door, "Dinner will be in twenty minutes, come down when you're ready!"

Erza could just imagine the bright grin that accompanied the man's words and she glared, unfairly disliking him for being so happy when she was…not.

She listened to Mr Davden's retreating footsteps and clenched her fists, fighting the urge to punch something. Jellal slowly got to his feet and made sure he kept his distance, sensing her irritation. He grabbed his cloak and shrugged into it.

"Do you want to start going down now?" he asked hesitantly.

He then inwardly winced as some rarely used part of his brain conjured up a different meaning to those words. His body heated and forced him to add, "To the dining room that is."

She gave him a speculative look and he willed himself to be free from any sign of his perverted thoughts as she wondered why he had felt the need to clarify. She strode over to him and surprised him by reaching around him and pulling his hood up.

His eyes widened at her sudden closeness but he compelled himself to stay exactly where he was instead of giving into the urge to step away or to step closer.

"Let's go then," she said softly, letting her fingers slip away from his cloak. She turned and went for the door, remembering last second that it was locked.

Jellal mentally shook himself and followed her, digging his hand into his pocket and withdrawing the room key. He moved over to the door, expecting Erza to step aside. She didn't.

Oddly, she was staring up at him with large eyes; it was as if she was frozen to the spot, helpless like an animal caught in a trap. He couldn't stop himself from keeping his gaze locked intently with hers as he reached out to insert the key into the door, his movement causing his body to brush against hers.

The lock clicked and snapped them out of their trance. Erza quickly glanced away and stepped back as Jellal pulled open the door and strode into the hallway. He inhaled sharply to try and clear his mind and then he reprimanded himself for letting his control slip. He heard Erza behind him and so he continued down the corridor that would lead them back to the staircase.

The armoured mage lengthened her stride to catch up with him, even though she wasn't sure that was the best idea, her whole body pulsed and hummed, she felt unsteady and she didn't like the feeling.

_Damn him for this!_

She grabbed his forearm and he turned his head as they walked, his gaze cutting into her. He raised an eyebrow in question and her grip tightened. Unfortunately she had forgotten what she had been going to say and so she had to improvise.

"Um…how are you?"

If she could've kicked her own ass, she would've in that instant.

_How are you!? _Really_, Erza? _That's_ what came out?_

Jellal stopped walking and turned to face her, tilting his head curiously even as badly suppressed amusement sparkled in his eyes.

"How am I?" he asked.

"Y-yes, how are you?" she shakily confirmed, "I should've asked earlier…"

"I'm…fine," he answered slowly, clearly trying to stop himself from smiling, "And yourself?"

"That's good because I, also, am fine," she responded.

His mouth curved into a half smile and Erza was temporarily lost as she tried to memorise his expression. Jellal Fernandes wasn't one to smile very often anymore. Heat exploded in her chest at the sight.

Then he jolted her out of her thoughts when he deliberately flicked his eyes down to where her hand was still clutching his arm.

She hurriedly released him as her cheeks turned pink. She began walking again.

"Hurry up," she said gruffly over her shoulder at him before she turned a corner and then started down the stairs.

He caught up to her as she entered the dining room and, for some reason, he couldn't prevent the words that came out.

"Erza, you look great."

She spun quickly around, nearly hitting him in the face with her long tail of scarlet hair.

"What?"

He closed his eyes and scrunched his face a little; cursing himself mentally for speaking. He forced his face to relax as he took a deep breath and stared at the top of her head.

"I should have said it earlier," he told her, "It's good to see you again, I'm glad to see you're looking…well."

She smiled slightly and gave a soft laugh, "Me too…you know, we're an awkward pair, aren't we? We never seem to get anything right…"

He nodded sadly and she turned away, stepping further into the dining room and attempting to calm her stampeding heart.

There were about eight tables of varying shapes and sizes scattered throughout the room, there were no other people present yet however. Erza weaved through the tables and chairs, heading towards the small table in the back corner.

Jellal followed her and tried his hardest not to stare at her tempting backside. When they reached the table, Erza slid into the chair that was against the wall and Jellal sat opposite her, self-consciously pulling at his hood as he tried to sit comfortably.

Being out in public was a weird, unsettling feeling for him these days. Excited voices carried over to the two of them and he resisted the urge to turn and see the source, knowing that Erza would be on her guard and that he didn't need to worry.

"It's just two old ladies," Erza told him quietly as she placed her elbow on the table and her head in her hand, her eyes briefly flicking over to the new arrivals.

"I told you not to worry, Maddy!" chided one of the women, a short, rabbit like one to her insect like companion, "We're not late or early, right on time I would think."

"Perhaps I should've just stayed in our room," muttered Jellal uneasily, "Or disguised myself…"

Erza frowned at him, "Don't be silly, there's a whole room of tables, what are the odds those two will want to sit near us?"

"Dotty!" exclaimed Maddy, "Look, there are people over there, should we go sit by them?"

Jellal's stomach dropped as he watched Erza's surprised expression.

"They're coming over here, aren't they," he sighed.

She nodded and he tensed as he heard the sounds of the old women knocking things about as they made their way over.

"Unbelievable," he groaned under his breath, slumping down in his chair slightly and pulling again at his hood.

**AN: Ooh yeah and if you're on tumblr, i have a couple of blogs, one of them is a jerza blog that i run with my friend, the links are on my profile if you want to have a looksee :D i know some of you already have :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: You reviewers are just too cute! I'm having so much fun writing this fic and im so happy you guys are enjoying it too! :D**

**Chapter 3-**

"Do you mind if we sit with you?" the rabbit like woman, Dotty, asked in a rusty voice as she and her friend came to a stop beside their table.

"Actually-" began Erza politely.

"It'd be awfully nice of you," cut in Dotty, "We've been staying here a few nights and it seems the other guests are opposed to our company for some reason."

Jellal tried to catch Erza's attention, willing her to get rid of the women as he wasn't in a position to say anything himself, he would rather they _not_ notice him. Erza didn't get his hint and he felt himself growing pale as he watched her crumble in sympathy.

"Alright," Erza acquiesced reluctantly, scooting her chair closer to the corner of the room.

She then looked pointedly at Jellal and he suppressed a sigh before copying her actions by making room for the older pair. Dotty squished herself up against his side while Maddy shuffled her chair close to Erza. Jellal kept his head down and hoped he could pretend he wasn't there.

"So," said Dotty authoritatively, "What brings the two of you here?"

He clenched his hand beneath the table, holding back a snarky comment. Having these two strangers so close was setting him on edge, he needed to calm down before he did something he would regret.

"We're on a job," answered Erza as he pulled in a steadying breath, "We're mages."

"Ooh, how exciting!" cooed Dotty.

"I dated a mage once…" Maddy sighed.

"Oh, how rude of us!" cried Dotty suddenly, "We didn't even introduce ourselves!"

Jellal puffed out an annoyed breath and restrained himself from commenting that not introducing themselves wasn't the only rude thing they had done.

"Indeed!" exclaimed Maddy, "How incredibly rude of us! I'm Maddy and this is my friend, Dotty. It's ever so nice to meet you both."

Dotty nodded emphatically in agreement and then the pair watched them expectantly. Erza painted a tiny smile on her face for the two.

"My name is Erza," she said, then she flicked her gaze over to Jellal, knowing she couldn't use his real name.

He winced as he noticed a mischievous gleam come to her eyes.

"And his name is…" she told them, her smile growing, "Sapphire."

He narrowed his eyes at her and vowed to get revenge.

"Sapphire?" repeated Dotty with a girlish laugh, "A boy named Sapphire?"

"Well," amended Erza, "He's a _man_ named Sapphire."

Dotty and Maddy exchanged glances and giggled.

"He doesn't say much, does he?" remarked Dotty with a grin.

Erza smirked, "He's just shy."

Jellal's eye twitched in annoyance, but he contained himself.

Dotty piped up again, this time with a hint of admonishment, "He may be shy but isn't he also a little rude wearing his hood up like that?"

Erza was about to make an excuse for him, probably something embarrassing, but before she could say anything, Maddy chimed in.

"Yes, he _is_ being rather rude, isn't he?"

"Most definitely," agreed Dotty, "But I suppose he might be hiding an unsightly face?"

Erza tried again to speak up but she was cut off.

"Well, there's one way to find out now, isn't there, Dotty?" Maddy said knowledgeably.

Apprehension shot through Jellal and sent his heart racing, but before he could protest, the woman plastered up against him reached up and yanked his hood back.

He flinched and tried to pull it up again but old Dotty was blessed with a surprisingly strong grip. His panicked eyes met with Erza's and then they froze, waiting for a reaction from the two old women.

"Dotty!" exclaimed Maddy.

"I know!" cried her friend.

Jellal swallowed hard and turned his gaze away shamefacedly.

Erza cleared her throat, "Now, ladies-"

"We forgot to put our glasses on!" Dotty and Maddy blurted in unison.

Jellal's eyes shot up to the woman beside him and then he had to lean away from her as she brought her face close and squinted at him.

"It's no good," Dotty sighed, "I can't tell if he's attractive or not at all!"

"Neither can I," admitted Maddy, also trying to peer at him, "Serves us right for leaving our rooms without our glasses."

Erza slumped in relief, that is until the women both turned to her.

"So, dearie," Dotty said, "_Is_ he attractive?"

He was unable to stop the smirk that appeared on his face as he watched the redhead turn bright pink.

"I, uh, well, um, that is…I," she spluttered, "I, um, sh-shouldn't say."

Erza…_spluttering_, Jellal never thought he would ever see _that_.

"I guess that's a 'yes' then, don't you think, Dotty?" asked Maddy.

"I quite agree," Dotty giggled, "I think she liiikkees him."

Erza face palmed and Jellal realised he was feeling the warmth of hope and pride in his chest. He quickly squashed it with guilt and self-loathing.

"I don't think so," he said softly, bringing the attention away from Erza's flustered squirming.

"Oh!" squealed Dotty, "He can talk!"

"And what a nice voice too," Maddy added, "I dated a man with a nice voice once…"

The sound of heavy footsteps travelled over to them and so Jellal quickly pulled his hood back up. The footfalls became louder and then out of the corner of his eye, Jellal saw Mr Davden approaching.

"Miss Dotty!" the man called, "Miss Maddy, I have taken the liberty of preparing a special table for the two of you!"

"What was that?" asked Dotty, peering around suspiciously at the man.

"Why would we want to leave where we are?" Maddy questioned.

Mr Davden came to a stop beside the table, "Well, maybe because these two are on a date?"

The old women gasped, "On a date?"

Erza and Jellal both flushed and Erza went to clear up the misconception but she changed her mind as Mr Davden gave her a subtle 'Just go with it' look.

"Are you two on a date?" Dotty chuckled, going so far as to nudge Jellal with her bony shoulder.

"Yes," answered Erza slowly, "We are."

"Well why didn't you say so sooner?" demanded Maddy playfully, "We'll leave you both in peace now."

They heaved themselves to their feet and began to follow a relieved Mr Davden through the maze of tables and chairs again.

"Have fun, dearies," called Maddy over her shoulder.

"But not _too_ much fun," added Dotty wryly, prompting her friend to burst into peals of obnoxious laughter.

The sounds of the two women faded away over the next few moments while Erza and Jellal fought to free themselves from any lingering blushes. Other people began drifting in and, thankfully, seated themselves at the tables on the far side from where they were.

"Sapphire?" Jellal asked straight-faced, "Really?"

"Do you have a problem with how I named you?" Erza enquired innocently, though her tone did hold a hint of challenge.

"Just…" he sighed, "You couldn't have thought of something...more masculine?"

Erza laughed quietly, "But I thought Sapphire was cute, it suits you."

"Cute?" repeated Jellal with a small frown of confusion.

The redhead coughed uncomfortably but was saved from further awkwardness by Mr Davden, who reappeared at that moment.

"I'm so sorry about Miss Dotty and Miss Maddy," he said brightly and with a grin, "Other guests have complained about them before and, honestly, I sometimes find it hard to find my sunny smile around them sometimes…"

Mr Davden spaced out for a moment, then he shuddered and forced a happy expression.

"I do hope you like roast chicken and vegetables!" he chirped, "I'll be right back with your dinner."

And with that he spun away and headed to a well concealed door near the back of the room, disappearing behind it. Jellal and Erza shared a look of puzzlement.

"Strange place," commented Erza.

"Indeed," Jellal agreed, "I hope we won't be staying here for too long."

Erza's expression tightened, causing him to flinch and add, "Not that spending time with you isn't…um-"

_What's the word? _he asked himself_, nice? Awkward? Painful? A test of strength?_

"Interesting," she finished for him.

He let out a relieved breath, "Yes, interesting."

The door at the back of the room opened up again and Mr Davden glided in with a large tray in his hands. He expertly manoeuvred around various objects and headed over to Jellal and Erza's table.

He placed the tray down and, with practised movements, put plates of delicious looking food in front of them and poured them each a glass of chilled water before flittering away to serve the other guests. The two mages ate in their typical, awkward quietness.

They both tried not to think about how 'date-like' the situation appeared to be. Jellal was also pleasantly surprised at how he had managed to survive the meal without saying anything embarrassing.

_Maybe this whole thing won't be so bad…_

Mr Davden popped up then and scurried away with their dishes before returning a minute later with two plates of dessert.

"Strawberry cheesecake!" exclaimed Erza, her eyes growing huge and damn near sparkling with excitement.

Jellal leaned back in his chair slightly, startled by her sudden enthusiasm.

"You, uh, like cheesecake?" he asked hesitantly as he picked up the dessert fork he had been given.

"It is the best creation!" she declared, then she added as an afterthought, "Well, it's right up there next to soufflés…"

Jellal watched in total fascination as Erza set about slowly eating her cake. Honestly, he could've had Dotty and Maddy leaning all over him and blabbering on and he wouldn't have noticed, because Erza was just so…enthralling. With every mouthful, she closed her eyes in bliss and let out a little moan that made Jellal shift about in his chair.

His heart pounded unevenly while his greedy gaze took in every detail and overrode the voice in his head telling him he was doing something he shouldn't. The beautiful mage went to load up another forkful but then she frowned sadly as she realised she had finished her dessert.

Jellal nudged his plate of untouched cheesecake towards her and her face lit up.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

He swallowed and nodded, not trusting his voice to speak without embarrassing him. Erza pulled his plate closer to herself and set it on top of her empty one before eagerly digging into the cheesecake. Her happy moan shot straight through him, tingling down his spine, flipping his stomach and causing his pants to feel tight.

A few moments later, when she licked her lips, Jellal groaned helplessly, unwittingly bringing Erza's attention to him. His eyes were glued to her mouth, so the only clue he had that she had caught him staring was the tint of pink in her cheeks.

"Jellal?" she quietly asked.

He forced his eyes up to meet hers, "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You were, um, staring."

He made himself blink in surprise, "Was I?"

The hope was that he could pass it off as simply him spacing out.

Erza nodded, "You must be tired from your journey, we should return to our room for the night, don't you think?"

He answered by getting to his feet and she did the same. He led the way through the furniture strewn room, each step causing nervousness to bubble up in his stomach. As he headed up the stairs with Erza right behind him, he couldn't help but wonder if she was becoming as nervous as he was.

_I'm spending the night with Erza_, he thought in disbelief, his insides twisting hotly. He glared at the carpeted corridor, _No, do _not_ phrase it like that_, _we're simply sharing a bed…shit, no, we're just sleeping together. No! We're…_

He continued to argue with himself over the proper description all the way until he reached their room, 211. Then of course, he realised he hadn't locked their door before they had left earlier, he hoped Erza didn't notice, he didn't want her to think he was completely useless. He reprimanded himself and made a note to make sure he always locked their door whenever they leave.

"Oh right," Erza remarked as he opened the door, "I suppose we didn't lock it, did we?"

Jellal hung his head in shame as he walked into the room and turned on the light.

"We'll have to be more vigilant next time," she said, following him inside and then closing the door.

He nodded and locked them in. Then they just stood there and stared at each other, unsure about what was going to happen next. Erza then looked away and cleared her throat.

"We should probably get an early night," she suggested, "There's no telling what tomorrow and the mission will bring."

Jellal nodded again and removed his cloak before shuffling over to the bed and moving his bag onto the floor. While his back was turned, Erza quickly requipped into her purple cotton PJs.

On the walk back to the room, she had mentally gone through all the nightwear she had with her and had debated about which item she should wear. Besides the conservative outfit she was now wearing, she also had two slinky and lacy nightgowns. She blushed at the thought of wearing them around Jellal.

_He probably wouldn't think I was sexy anyway…_she told herself as she watched him kneel down and take off his boots, _wait, what am I even thinking?! I don't want him to think I'm sexy!_

She rushed off into the bathroom so she could calm herself by going through her normal night-time routine. Unfortunately even after she had done everything she needed, she was still confused about what she wanted. She smacked her forehead and told herself to get it together.

Then she exited the bathroom and found that Jellal had pulled back the blankets and was splayed out, his eyes squeezed shut as he muttered something under his breath. Erza's stomach fluttered but she ruthlessly ignored it and her urge to just jump on the man.

She made herself walk over to the bedside table, turn on the small lamp and then move over to the door to switch off the main light. When she turned back to face the bed, Jellal was sitting up and staring wide-eyed at her. A tingling heat rolled through her as her heart lurched and raced in her chest.

Why was he looking at her like that? She self-consciously raised a hand up to her, now undone, hair and smoothed it even more before looking down at her PJs and making sure they were acceptable. She was sure there was nothing wrong with her appearance and so she frowned over at Jellal.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him as she made her way over to the bed.

He looked away and then shook his head of blue hair in a quick movement.

While she had been preparing for bed in the bathroom, he had lain there and begun instructing himself to be on his best behaviour and to think only professional thoughts. Of course all of that had gone out the window when he had seen her standing by the door in her cute PJs.

As he watched her walking towards him now, he hated how his body temperature shot up and his palms grew damp. The woman had no extra skin exposed, even her normal amour showed more than her sleepwear did and yet, he found her to be almost more tempting dressed the way she was right now.

_Don't think about what she's wearing under all that cotton_, he told himself, taking a deep breath, _don't think about undoing all those buttons and unwrapping her like the gift she is, _don't_ think about anything!_

Erza climbed onto the bed and burrowed under the blankets.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight," he responded quietly.

Jellal slowly put himself under the blankets too and after Erza turned off the lamp, he rolled so he was facing away from her. It was bad enough that he could smell her sweet, alluring scent; he didn't want to risk adding a visual.

His whole being was tensed up; he locked all his muscles in place to stop from moving and grabbing her. The woman he loved was _so_ close, she was literally in arms reach, but no, he was _not_ allowed to touch, he wasn't even allowed to think about her, lest he give into temptation.

He drew in another deep breath and then swore inwardly as Erza's scent became all he could focus on.

_It's _not_ going to happen, Jellal,_ he said to himself firmly, _you're not even worthy to think about her, you're lucky she even _talks_ to you after all you've done._

He held his breath as he sensed Erza rolling over. He wondered if her back was to him or not and then that got him imagining the outline of her body. His thoughts soon became a stream of expletives and sentiments of self-hate.

_Just stop_, he mentally growled, _stop thinking about her!_

The woman dominating his thoughts then let out a sigh and he heard her shifting about again. He could so easily turn over and stretch out to touch her…He stifled a groan.

_The idea of me actually surviving this night, and getting a restful sleep too is rather…unbelievable_, he thought resignedly.

**AN: hehe i had fun with this chapter and man, i find the image of Jellal shyly nudging a plate of cheesecake towards Erza to be super cute! Someone should do some fanart ;) ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: You reviewers are seriously too cute! Like wow and the last chapter got 22 of them o.O and they were all super cute *big hugs for you and also this big chapter!***

**I'm thinking about incorporating some of the cute headcanons from the jerza blog (scarlet-tattoo) that me and my friend run into this story XD And when i say 'thinking about' i mean...i snuck three into this chapter XD**

**Chapter 4-**

It was around midnight when Jellal woke up. The reason for his early return to the land of wakefulness was, of course, the beautiful mage, Erza Scarlet. She was right up against his back, her arm around his waist and her face pressed into his shoulder.

_I'm being spooned_, Jellal thought in amazement_, that's a first._

He then became aware of the way her breasts were flush against him and how close her hand was to his crotch.

_I have to get out of her, I mean, here_, he inwardly winced, his body flooding with heat and embarrassment.

He pulled at her wrist, trying to loosen her hold on him, he sighed in relief when it was surprisingly easy to do so.

Jellal used slow, painstaking movements to inch away from Erza and then he sat on the edge of the bed, dragging in deep breaths like he had just run a marathon. He hesitantly got to his feet and was about to step away when Erza flung her arm out, caught his hand and yanked him back onto the bed, or more correctly, onto _her_.

His eyes flew open wide as he registered that his cheek was against her cleavage and that she had her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. His pulse rattled sporadically in his ears as fire ran along his skin and he tried vainly to clear his mind. He quickly placed his hands on the bed either side of her and pressed down, trying to put some distance between them.

Erza clung onto him however and he groaned her name quietly when her body rubbed against him rather intimately. He managed to make it to his knees with her claiming him like that, though she shuffled down and nuzzled into his neck, causing a wash of white heat to roll over him.

_Keep calm,_ he mentally chanted, _keep calm_.

He awkwardly gripped her legs and tried to pry them off his torso, blushing madly as he did so. His fingers then grazed just above her hips and she made an odd sound. Curious, he brushed over the same point. Erza giggled in her sleep and squirmed.

A slightly evil grin crept onto his face at his discovery of her ticklish spot and he filed the information away for future reference. It was of no use to him at the moment however, as her instinct was to hug closer to him. He swiftly moved his hands up to her arms and removed them from himself, gently lowering her back onto the mattress.

He sighed as he straightened back up and stared down at her sleeping form. Then he frowned, he had always imagined Erza to be a light sleeper, someone who would wake up at the slightest movement or sound, even though that wasn't the case when they were younger.

_It's creepy that I've imagined her sleeping, isn't it? Shit…_

He ran a hand through his blue hair, ruffling it further before he carefully climbed over the bed and headed into the bathroom. The shirt he was wearing itched his heated skin and so he unbuttoned it. Jellal then hesitated, wondering if it was okay for him to take it off completely.

He exhaled heavily and shook his head as he reached out for the sink and found the tap, twisting the knobbly handle. Chilled water rushed down and he covered his hands with it, cupping and filling them. He splashed and scrubbed his face, hoping he could cool himself down and wash away the thoughts he was not supposed to have.

After he shut off the water and uncurled himself to his full height, he heard Erza suddenly swear loudly. He quickly moved into the doorway, peering worriedly over at her as she sat on the faintly illuminated bed.

She had switched on the bedside lamp and moved so she was cross legged in the centre of the mattress as she pressed her knuckles into her forehead.

"Are you alright, Erza?" Jellal asked, bracing himself by gripping the doorframe.

She sighed and looked up at him. Her expression melted from annoyance to surprise, and then to something else, though he didn't understand why.

Erza's dark eyes were glued to the enticing, well defined muscles peeking out at her through his open shirt. Her fingers twitched and she dug her nails into her palms, willing her gaze to move to a more socially acceptable location and telling herself that she shouldn't be affected by him anyway. Her eyes followed the trail left by several water droplets back up to his dampened face.

"Erza?" he prompted.

She screwed up her face and smacked her forehead as she recalled the reason she had woken up, well, what she _thought_ was the reason anyway.

"I made an error," she said, smoothing out her features and taking a breath, "I thought I paid the train employees…but I've just remembered that I didn't."

As his intense eyes stared at her, Erza felt the familiar thrill spark down her spine; she looked away.

"I guess I'll just have to pay double on the way back…" she trailed off, feeling stupid for talking about something so unimportant, she changed the subject, "What woke you up?"

She noted interestedly the way his fingers dug into the wood frame of the door and the way his fidgeting shifted the toned muscles beneath his skin.  
"Did you get too hot?" she asked, referencing the slight redness in his face.

"Something like that," he mumbled dryly under his breath as he rubbed a hand over his head.

"It _is_ quite warm," Erza commented, her eyes flicking back to his abs for a second.

She then pulled at her PJ top and frowned, forgetting her earlier decision, "Maybe I should change into one of my nightgowns…"

"No!" said Jellal suddenly.

Crossing her arms, Erza tilted her curiously as she demanded, "What did you say?"

He swallowed loudly and couldn't meet her gaze as he spluttered, "I-I m-mean, uh, I don't think, that would, um, be such a good idea."

Jellal…_spluttering_, Erza never thought she would ever see _that_. Her heart warmed at the sight and then she abruptly remembered which nightgowns she had with her…She turned away and used the excuse of getting back under the blankets so she could keep her blushing face averted so he wouldn't see.

"We'd better try getting back to sleep," she told him firmly, "We'll have to be up in a few hours."

He nodded and slowly made his way back around the bed. She lay there stiffly as he slid beneath the covers with her, keeping as much of a distance between them as he could. She reached over and turned off the lamp, allowing darkness to flood into the room once more.

After a few moments, she realised that, despite her earlier comment, she was now a tad cold. She looked over at Jellal, only just able to make out his profile, and wondered if he would notice if she inched closer to him.

She could almost feel the heat radiating off him and she felt as though it called to her. She bit her lip and debated about how much she could get away with.

_I could just shuffle over a bit…or I could roll over a couple of times…he just looks so cuddly!_

Her eyes widened and then she smirked and snorted mentally as it crossed her mind that not many people would ever associate the word 'cuddly' with Jellal Fernandes.

_I wonder if anyone has though…_her expression darkened possessively at the thought and she propelled herself into action, scooting over until there were only a few inches separating them. Jellal showed no indication the he had registered her movement, but she didn't want to push her luck or make him uncomfortable.

So she restrained herself and forced herself to be content with being as close as she was to him. A memory flashed through her mind, of the cold, damp floor of the partially constructed Tower of Heaven.

Back then she wouldn't have hesitated to press against him for heat and he would've put his arms around her too…though of course Millianna, Wally and the rest would've been huddled with them as well. Erza brought her arms up and hugged herself, hoping for a bit of warmth and hoping that the lonely ache in her heart would be soothed one day.

* * *

She got her wish for heat, in fact, she was burning up. She pried her tired eyes open found that she was lying on top on Jellal, her face was pressed into his neck and her hands were resting on his shoulders. He was caging her against his chest, his arms tight around her waist.

He was holding onto her like he was terrified something was going to try and take her away, even his legs were trapping her to him. As she realised that it was now morning, she wondered how long Jellal had been embracing her like that. She blushed and remembered that, when they were younger, when he was tired or half asleep, he would cling to her.

She just hoped that was something he only did around her…she cursed her wishful thinking and decided it was about time they started preparing for the day.

"Jellal," she whispered, lifting her head and frowning at him, "It's time to get up now."

His hold on her tightened and, as he rolled them over, she could've sworn he muttered something about how he was 'already up.'

Heat swamped her when his hands slipped out from under her back and grabbed her hips. He nuzzled into her neck and then sighed, his warm breath tickling her. She groaned, only because he was crushing her of course, and then pushed against his shoulders to create some distance.

She fidgeted and managed to move her torso partway out from under him. Unfortunately (or not, depending how you want to look at it), he twisted half onto his side and wrapped his arms around her waist again, pressing his face against her chest, returning the blush to her cheeks.

"Jellal," she sighed, trying to sound disapproving and failing.

"Erza," he mumbled.

She narrowed her eyes, wondering if there was a possibility that he was awake and aware of what he was doing. She brushed some of his blue locks from his face gently and then, not so gently, pulled open his eyes. She let out a 'humph' of annoyance when she decided he really was asleep.

_Of course_, she thought annoyed more at herself now, _Jellal would never take advantage of the situation, he might've been cheekier when we were younger but not now…_

Before she could become too melancholy, Erza forced herself into action and once again extracted herself from his arms. She sat up and then dug under the blankets to untangle their legs.

Once she was free, she managed to slide a little away from him, but her freedom didn't last long because he threw his arm out and caught her around her waist, pulling her back along his side. Her back was half on him and he was almost curved around her, his hands on her stomach. She turned her head up to glare pointlessly at him.

Her expression changed to shock however as one of his hands began creeping upwards. She was so surprised that she didn't react in time to stop him from groping her breasts. Sure that her face was ablaze, Erza went to grab his hand, but she paused as she noticed the slight frown on Jellal's tattooed face.

"Wasn't…there before…" he mumbled in confusion, still lightly squeezing her flesh. She let out a squeak, "Jellal!"

He made a sleepy sound of complaint and snuggled up closer to her.

"No," she scolded, "Bad, Jellal!"

_Stop being so cute!_ She mentally added.

He grumbled again and she knew she had to escape his hold before he tried to trap her in a more difficult to get out of position. She, rather roughly, gripped his wrists and yanked them away from her body, then she threw herself away from him, rolled and landed lightly on the floor, staring back over at him with flushed cheeks.

His shirt was flung open wide and she glared at him…until she noticed his hair.

Erza giggled and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand to try and stop herself. Another thing she remembered from their childhood was that Jellal's hair in the mornings was always a big mess, the blue strands spiking up in all directions.

He used to always be so self-conscious about it and tried to hide it from everyone. She couldn't help but smile as she turned away from him and headed into the bathroom. After she did her thing, requipped into her regular armour and then returned to the room, she found that Jellal had woken up.

His had gotten dressed as well and now had his back to her. She smirked as she watched him furiously trying to flatten his hair.

_At least _some_ things never change…_

Jellal turned around then and froze upon seeing her, his hands slipping away from his head.

"Erza," he awkwardly greeted, clearly hoping she hadn't been standing there long.

"Good morning, Jellal," she said in a warm tone, "Did you sleep well?"

He looked away, shoved his hands into his pockets and hesitated before answering, "Yes."

"Good," she nodded, "So did I."

Uncomfortable silence settled in between them as they both remembered certain parts of the night. Erza coughed and then found her eyes straying to a piece of paper that was resting atop a small chest of drawers by the door. She headed over to it and found it was an information sheet about the various amenities provided by the inn.

The sheet told her that a breakfast of bacon and eggs would be served in the dining room in fifteen minutes, so she began to assemble a plan of how the day would go, knowing that they needed to meet with the person who submitted the mission request at nine-thirty, in two hours.

Erza nodded to herself, placed the paper back where it was and then strode over to her luggage, Jellal's curious gaze following her. She unzipped a small, orange bag that was jammed in between two yellow ones and she wriggled her fingers into it.

Once she had grasped the vial she sought, she withdrew her hand and stepped over to her mission partner. He stared impassively at her, waiting for her to explain.

"This potion," she said, holding it up so he could see the dark liquid, "can disguise you for short periods of time, that way, we both won't have to worry about your identity being discovered while we investigate."

"Is that so?" he asked softly and with interest.

"Yes and the best thing about it is that if I take a sip of it too, after you, I'll be able to see you as you are, while everyone else sees your disguised appearance."

"That's good," he responded thoughtfully, "We wouldn't want you to get confused about who I am, that could be disastrous."

_And this way_, she thought a little deviously, _I get to be the only one who can see your handsome face_.

"It should work for about four hours," she remarked coolly as she pulled out the stopper, "Take a sip."

She held it up to his mouth, telling herself it was just to make sure he didn't drink too much of the potion. His eyes grew wide and he stepped back a little, causing her to look sternly at him and put her hand on his neck.

"You need to drink a bit of this," she reminded him, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach that awakened due to their close proximity.

Jellal glanced away from her for a moment and then met her eyes. A dash of fire shot down her spine at the look in his green eyes. She almost felt the need to hold her breath in anticipation as she slowly stepped forward and raised the vial to his lips once more.

She watched attentively while she tilted the potion into his mouth, but she nearly forgot she wasn't supposed to make him drink all of it. She pulled back the vial and focused on him as he swallowed; wondering if he could feel the heat that enveloped her body.

She slowly took a sip of the potion herself, but she looked away from him and missed the way his eyes darkened with desire at seeing her drink from the same spot that he had.

The potion was like a sweet raspberry sauce and yet it burned slightly as it went down.

Erza cleared her throat and then gestured towards the bathroom as she said, "We'd better see if that worked."

His gaze lingered on her for a moment, then he nodded and crossed the room. The reflection that stared out at him from the rectangular mirror was Jellal and also…not.

Erza followed him into the little room and they both studied his image, noting how the reflected version had dark purple hair and no tattoo on his face. Those were the only two differences but they were enough to stop him being recognisable as Jellal Fernandes.

He reached up and touched his right cheek, where his tattoo was, and his eyebrows drew together.

"I've always wondered…" he muttered to himself.

She stared up at him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she smiled softly.

"I still stand by what I told those bullies all those years ago," she said quietly, "And I know you heard me say it, I remember you couldn't look at me for two whole days without blushing. Your tattoo is beautiful."

"Erza," he groaned, his face heating up.

"Just like that," she chuckled, "Now come on, let's head to breakfast."

She slipped away into the bedroom, leaving him to shake his head at himself.

_I've blushed more in the past _day_ than I have my whole life, I'm sure of it_, he thought with a trace of amazement and annoyance.

* * *

After an awkward (no surprises there) breakfast, Jellal and Erza decided that it would be best if they started to head towards the client's meeting place, just in case it was somewhere far away.

As the two strode through the streets of the large town, Jellal continually clenched and unclenched his fists; he didn't like being so out in the open, even after knowing no-one would recognise him. He knew that it would only make him appear more suspicious, so he fought the urge to pull up the hood of his cloak.

"The client is the Mayor, isn't it?" he asked Erza to keep him mind occupied.

"That's right," she confirmed, "That should be his house up on that hill over there."

She pointed and Jellal held back a sigh at seeing the large market place she was clearly intent on walking through to get to the Mayor's house. He could feel his insides tightening and twisting nervously as they approached the crowded town centre; he kept his head down and just tried to focus on moving through the people.

Erza surprised him by grabbing his forearm and he supposed it was a good idea on her part; it wouldn't be the best if they became separated at this point.

The marketplace was a huge octagon whose sides were lined with shops and stalls. People of every shape and size jostled past each other, laden with their stuffed bags and possessions and some of the shoppers rested by the massive fountain in the middle. It depicted a tall man with a protruding belly and an insane moustache. He held a watering can pompously and the water flowed into the stone bowl he stood in. Jellal had a sinking feeling that the statue was, in fact, the likeness of the Azolla Town Mayor.

His brow furrowed as people brushed past him and occasionally bumped him. Erza's grip on his arm tightened and she pulled him along, weaving around an arguing couple and a whining child. He almost lost sight of her for a second, but then she stopped abruptly and he nearly crashed into her.

"Someone touched my butt," she said through gritted teeth.

Anger flashed through Jellal, narrowing his eyes and darkening his expression.

"Are you sure?" he demanded, trying to calm himself, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal to him, "It was probably just an accident."

_Yeah_, he thought in reassurance, _probably just an accident…_

Erza turned to face him full on, quirking her eyebrow and acting out of pure annoyance.

"Does _this_ feel like an 'accident'?" she questioned, reaching around him and grabbing his ass.

"Erza!"

He jerked and she let go of him, spinning around and stomping off.

_I can't believe I just did that!_ she mentally exclaimed, her adrenaline squeezing her heart and reddening her face. She could only blame her actions on her outrage at the audacity off the stranger and the fact that Jellal had doubted her claim. She rubbed her palm as she stalked through the crowd, still able to feel him.

_Stupid Jellal_.

The man who was unknowingly being insulted, blinked and then swiftly followed behind her, his own face tinted pink too. Unsure of her mood, he didn't say anything once he caught up to her.

Minutes later, they finally made it through the market centre and Jellal let out a quiet sigh of relief even though the silence between them became painfully obvious.

When they were at the base of the hill the Mayor's house sat atop, Jellal couldn't hold back anymore.

"I'm sorry, Erza."

She glanced over at him, her forehead creasing slightly, "Why are you apologising?"

He hesitated and looked straight ahead, feeling a little sheepish.

"I don't know…for not believing you?"

"It's alright," she said dismissively, her irritation had faded several minutes earlier when she realised that she now had the rare privilege of being someone who could say, (not that she would) that she'd groped Jellal.

_Take the good with the bad I always say_, she thought, fighting off a smirk.

He still seemed uneasy so she distracted him by gesturing to the wide road that sloped up the hill and led to the rather gaudy house.

"We'd best not keep the client waiting," she said.

He nodded and they started up the hill, Jellal studying the layout of the huge town from their viewpoint as they went. The Mayor's house was made of marble and its large oak doors were guarded by two fluted columns that supported the small balcony jutting out above.

Before they had even reached the front steps, the double doors were opened by the Mayor himself. Jellal had been right about that fountain and he wished that he wasn't.

"Hello! Hello!" called the Mayor, stroking his velvet vest covered potbelly, "Come in! Come in!"

As a rule, Jellal tried not to judge people too quickly; however, the Mayor simply struck him as being a pervert. The tall, well-dressed man spun around and strode into his large entrance hall, beckoning Jellal and Erza to follow him. The Mayor led them into another room that branched off to the left, then he sat in a high backed chair in front of the unlit fireplace and gestured for them to stand before him.

His bright eyes raked over them both, making them fight to make sure they didn't show the way he made their skin crawl. With only a few feet separating them from him, Jellal could see every straw like bit of hair sticking out of the Mayor's head, it wasn't a view he appreciated particularly and so he stared at the top of the chair instead.

The sitting man made a low sound of approval and then said, "I didn't realise the mages being sent would be so easy on the eyes, this is certainly a nice surprise."

Jellal hid his fisted hands behind his back and attempted to stop himself from thinking about the Mayor's lecherous eyes all over Erza.

"What can you tell us about this dark mage we're going to be after?" Erza asked.

"Ooh, getting straight to business are we?" the Mayor chuckled, "And what about _you_? Don't you want to have a bit of _fun_ first? You look like you'd be a lot of fun."

There was silence for a moment and Jellal wondered why Erza hadn't responded to that infuriating, loaded question. He glanced over to her and felt his stomach sink as he found she was staring at him with wide eyes. His own startled eyes then fell onto the pompous man who was very much checking him out.

"W-what?"

The Mayor smirked at him, his gaze filled with heat as he said, "I hope your magical ability matches the level of your attractiveness, if it does, well, I think I'll be in good hands with this mission, don't you think?"

Jellal blinked incredulously, was this man hitting on him? He looked back over to Erza for help but found that she was nodding in agreement.

The Mayor spoke again, this time with false embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, I just can't help myself when I'm around such a…a _fine_ male specimen."

The man really was hitting on him, no doubt about it.

"U-unbelievable," breathed Jellal, heat creeping up his neck.

******AN: Oh, Jellal, its not really that unbelievable, you're adorable!**

******Also, I'm not sure exactly how KindaPervy!Erza ended up in this chapter lol but i hope you liked it anyway and i'll try be quicker with the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey there awesome friends XD I'm so super duper happy that you guys like this fic! Its so cool reading your reviews and chatting to some of you! XD**

**Chapter 5-**

"Oh," the Mayor chuckled, "It's not so unbelievable, you're adorable."

He turned to Erza, "Don't you agree, Miss?"

The red haired mage blinked in surprise and then nodded, causing a pink stain to spread over Jellal's cheeks.

"And what are your names anyway?" asked the Mayor, "It was pretty remiss of me not to enquire sooner, but well, as we established, I'm easily distracted by an attractive face."

The man…batted his eyelashes at Jellal. Erza cleared her throat and schooled her features before responding to the Mayor's question, knowing by Jellal's bewildered expression that he was, at the moment, incapable of speech.

"My name is Erza Scarlet," she said evenly, "and this is my…comrade, Sapphire…Blue."

A grin spread across the Mayor's thin lips.

"Sapphire Blue?" he repeated delightedly, "How charming."

Jellal wanted to hide beneath his hood and then be swallowed up by the marble floor, he was ranking this moment as one of the most embarrassing of his life.

_I should pay her back for giving me a name like that_, he thought with slight bitterness_, or maybe I shouldn't…she deserves a few free hits at me, doesn't she?_

Then his eyes grew wider by a fraction, _wait, did she say 'comrade'?_

As warmth bubbled up inside him and warred with his guilt and feelings of unworthiness, Erza continued to converse with the Mayor.

"So," she stated, "There have been several attacks has there?"

The Mayor nodded, a frown pulling his features downwards, "Yes, we're lucky there has been no fatalities and only a few injuries."

"And what is the nature of these attacks?" questioned Erza.

"Destruction," answered the Mayor solemnly.

"I see," Erza said seriously, "Can you provide us with a map of the town and mark it with the locations of the places that have been attacked?"

"The map, I can do," responded the Mayor, then he added sheepishly, "But I'm afraid I'll have to get my assistant to help you with marking it, I'm not the best with directions, maps and the like."

"Very well," nodded Erza.

She then watched the man expectantly, waiting for him to go and retrieve the map. She sighed as she realised he was staring adoringly at Jellal while Jellal himself was frowning down at his boots, deep in thought about something.

Erza inwardly chuckled then, remembering the look of complete shock on his face when he had realised the Mayor had been flirting with him. She shifted her gaze back to the Mayor.

"We'd like to get started on this as soon as we can, sir," she told him pointedly.

"Oh!" cried the Mayor, becoming flustered, "Yes, right, of course. I'll go get the map and Allison right away."

He jumped out of his chair and scuttled out of the room through an open door to the left of the fireplace.

_Allison?_ Erza thought, narrowing her eyes, _that must be the Mayor's assistant…why am I hoping she'll be unattractive?_

She inwardly growled at herself for being unfocused, then she turned back to Jellal.

"Are you alright there?" she asked, noticing he was still looking to be concentrating on some complex problem; she tried not to dwell on how cute he looked when he was thinking.

His troubled eyes turned up to meet hers then, gradually, his expression smoothed out and he said softly, "I'm fine, just thinking about how good this disguise must be for the Mayor to be as…interested as he was."

She raised an eyebrow at that and refrained from speaking her thoughts.

_You're lucky, if the Mayor had seen your real face, Jellal, he would've been all over you._

Jellal suddenly said contemplatively, "Erza…if you can see my appearance as it really is, how are we to know when the potion wears off and everyone else can see me too?"

She winced and thought quickly, "We'll just need to keep an eye on the time, that's all."

Glancing around the large room, she spotted a clock and added, "We have about another hour and a half or so."

They became aware of hushed voices coming from the doorway the Mayor had disappeared through. Erza smirked a little as she realised the voices were that of the Mayor and 'Allison' and that the Mayor was gushing to his assistant about how very good looking 'Sapphire' was.

Jellal shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably at hearing all the praise his disguised appearance was getting. His discomfort only increased however when the Mayor and his assistant fully entered the room. Allison was short, petite and wearing a low cut pink dress.

Her blonde bangs bounced around her pretty face as she and her employer glided over to them. She had a folded up map and a pen clutched nervously in her hands and she peered up at Jellal shyly before blushing and staring at the floor.

"This is my assistant," declared the Mayor with a bright smile, "Allison, she'll help you with anything you need."

While the introductions were made, Erza tried not to glare at the sweet looking young woman who was in awe of Jellal. When Jellal nodded in acknowledgement to Allison and caused the girl to turn a cute shade of pink, Erza hated herself for her irrational dislike.

"Allison," said the Mayor chirpily, "If you would be so kind as to mark on the map, the places that have been attacked by this villain."

"Y-yes, s-sir," the blonde stuttered, moving hurriedly over to a small square table behind Jellal. Unfortunately she was walking a bit _too_ hurriedly and she tripped over. Jellal's quick reflexes saved her however and he caught her around her waist, she blinked up at him with adoration shining in her wide eyes.

Erza clenched her fists, her jaw setting as some strange, burning emotion tore through her.

_It was kind of funny when it was the Mayor_, she thought darkly, _but this…_this_ is unacceptable!_

She told herself that she didn't want Allison to look at Jellal like that because he might start to like her back and, _we can't afford any distractions on this mission; he must not be allowed to get involved with this girl._

She completely missed the fact that Jellal had shown no signs at all that he saw Allison as more than just the Mayor's assistant.

Erza glared at the blonde and watched her carefully as Jellal helped her straighten up.

"I'm s-sorry," squeaked Allison embarrassedly, brushing some of her golden hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

"There's no need to apologise," Jellal told her kindly.

Instantly, Erza was reimagining the scene…

_"I'm sorry," sighed the resplendent blonde, clutching onto Jellal's shirt, "I just can't stop myself from falling for you…"_

_Jellal smiled at Allison, his eyes sparkling with amusement and desire as he said in his low, smooth voice, "I'm glad to hear that, my dearest Alli. You know, people say that you only fall in love once in your life, but every time I look at you, I fall in love all over again."_

_"Oh, darling," breathed Allison, reaching up to touch his face._

_"Alli, will you marry me and have my thirty-three babies?" Jellal asked, his expression filled with hope._

"Erza?"

Jellal's inquiry freed her from her nightmarish thoughts and she sighed in relief even as her resolve to get between the two solidified further. She blinked and found that he was standing beside Allison at the square table.

_That just won't do, _she decided.

She strode over to them and, as subtly as she could, squeezed between them as they stared down at the map spread out before them. Jellal forced himself to step back slightly, even though he quite liked having Erza so close, he needed to be able to concentrate after all.

"Where was the first attack?" he asked the assistant.

The girl glanced up at him and blushed yet again, prompting him to have an odd thought.

_Blushing's only cute when Erza does it._

He brought his eyes down to the map as he tried to figure out why such a thought had crossed his mind.

"It was h-here," Allison answered shakily, pointing to a dot on the rough parchment map, "N-near the f-fountain in the public gardens."

She put a little mark on the spot and then made another a few inches away.

"The second one was here, at the public baths."

"Thank you for your help," Erza said, speaking up before Jellal could, "We should get going now."

Allison nodded and smiled before folding up the map and holding it out to Jellal. Erza reached out and snatched it, grabbing his arm at the same time and then pulling him along.

"We'll sort this mission out for you as soon as we can," she called over her shoulder, "You can count on us."

"Have fun!" the Mayor called back.

Jellal frowned at the strange comment but Erza didn't, she was too busy towing him out of the house and fighting to control her emotions. Once they were striding down the hill, Jellal spoke up in mild rebuke.

"You were a little rude back there, Erza."

She shot him a look that made him very much aware of the strong grip she still had on his arm. He wanted to know about her sudden change and so he steeled himself for any reaction she might have, though he did briefly wonder if it was even any of his business.

_It is if it will affect the mission_, he reasoned.

"Why did you act that way around that assistant, Allison? Do you know something about her?" he questioned carefully.

Erza's steps seemed to damage the ground more after that, but her features were remarkably untroubled as she responded, "The girl was clearly interested in you and we can't have any inappropriateness on this mission."

"Bit late for that," Jellal muttered under his breath, remembering in particular Erza's hand on his ass. He added in a louder voice, "There was never any danger of inappropriateness between Allison and I. I'm not sure why you would even think there would be."

Erza scoffed, "I know what I saw-"

_And imagined…_

"-and I won't tolerate anything like that, understand?"

Jellal couldn't stop his face from showing his disbelief. He stopped and pulled the arm she held back, forcing her to stop as well.

"Erza…" he began seriously, "I'm willing to take the blame for a lot of things…but this isn't one of them. Me and Allison? There's no way that would ever happen."

"Why not?" demanded Erza against her will, "She's a pretty girl, after the mission perhaps-"

"_Erza_," interrupted Jellal earnestly, "There's no way I could ever be with someone who's not…-"

_You_.

"-aware of my past and besides, my life is too dangerous and I have important work to do," he finished.

"Not to mention your _fiancée_," Erza added with just a hint of malice as she glared away at the sprawling town.

He blinked and then winced, his heart missing a beat.

"Yeah…can't forget about her…" he said weakly.

_Again that is…damn these lies._

"I'm such a fool," muttered Erza to herself.

Before he could ask what she meant by that, she had released his arm and started off down the hill. He called out to her but she ignored him, focusing instead on the map she had, orienting herself and figuring out where to go next.

Jellal sighed heavily and caught up to her after deciding he wasn't allowed to press her for answers. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as the sunlight struck her hair and gave it a brilliant glow.

_There is no-one else for me._

She glanced at up at him from the map, a small frown present on her face.

"Did you say something?" she asked.

His eyes widened, "No."

He turned his slightly panicked gaze away and mentally beat himself up for that slip.

She stared at him for another sweat-inducing moment and then shrugged, looking back to her map.

"We need to go down this road," she said, pointing slightly to the right.

Jellal nodded and awkward silence rolled over them as they continued onwards, heading onto the empty street. He forced his mind to go quiet; he couldn't say anything embarrassing if he wasn't thinking about anything, right?

Wrong.

They passed by a couple who were standing in a doorway of their house, embracing passionately.

"I wish I was allowed to do that with Erza," he said wistfully as he watched the two.

Then he froze, paled and flicked his horrified eyes over to her while mentally chanting, _I can't believe I just said that!_

The relief he felt upon realising she hadn't heard him was enormous; it nearly wiped him out as it flooded his system. She had clearly walked on ahead while he had been distracted by the couple and so he now jogged to catch up to her and hoped she didn't notice his small absence.

"What happened to you?" she asked, not looking up from her map.

He winced, unsure for a moment if he should be annoyed or happy that she had indeed noticed.

"Nothing important," he hedged.

"Alright," she said, "But don't get lost again, I don't want to have to go looking for you."

He _almost_ rolled his eyes at her but managed to stay impassive, that is until she mumbled quietly, "Because no doubt I'll find a flock of females around you…"

He sighed and chose to ignore that confusing add-on.

"I'm sorry, Erza, I won't leave you again," he promised.

He shook his head as they walked, unable to figure about why she was acting so strangely.

_I'm beginning to think that Erza Scarlet will forever remain a mystery to me_, he frowned.

"Here we are," Erza announced, ten long minutes later.

Jellal blinked and then cast his gaze about, studying the tree lined stone gate that welcomed and beckoned them to enter the gardens. He and Erza both stretched out their senses, wary of any sign of trouble, this was the site of the first attack after all, and the mage might've left a nasty surprise.

They walked cautiously in and couldn't help but admire the vast array of colourful flowers and bushes that made many paths through the area. They stayed on the central, cobblestone footpath that would led them ever closer to the main 'attraction.'

"I guess all the fountains in this place are made to look like the Mayor," Erza mused once they stood in the wide circle in the middle of the garden.

Jellal eyed the decapitated statue with mixed emotions before letting his eyes glide over the rest of the damage. Where the fountain should've been, was now a rather deep crater and the fallen statue was at the heart of it, water no longer flowing.

"It was definitely strong magic that caused this damage," he commented, glancing over to Erza who was crouching down and touching the some severed stone fragments.

"Indeed," she said as she tucked the folded map into her right boot, "And there's something…a little familiar about it."

He crouched as well and studied everything more carefully, his eyebrows drawing down in thought.

"Yes," he agreed, "Something a little-"

"Hello!" a squawking voice interrupted, prompting Erza and Jellal to straighten and turn to the newcomer.

It was a chirpy looking middle-aged woman with wild, greying black hair and a gap toothed grin.

"Hello," greeted Erza politely, "Can we help you?"

"Why I think it's the two of you who are helping me," said the woman, "You're the mages investigating this mess aren't ya?"

"That's correct," responded Erza.

"I'm Manda and I was here when this place was hit," explained the woman, stepping around the debris to come closer to them, "The Mayor told me you might like to talk to me about what happened, he also gave me something to give to you."

"He did?" asked Erza with mild confusion, wondering why the Mayor hadn't just given them whatever it was when they saw him.

"Yup, he sure did," Manda answered, smiling broadly before digging her hand into the pocket of her simple, black dress.

Erza and Jellal tensed in suspicion and remained on edge even after the odd woman had pulled out a glass vial of dark blue liquid.

Manda held it out for them to see, "This is some of what was left behind after the attack, the Mayor told me to hold onto this sample for you."

"That's very helpful, thank you," Erza spoke softly, reaching for the vial.

To her surprise and annoyance, the woman pulled it back in a seemingly innocent gesture.

"Oh it happened a couple of days ago and it was very scary," Manda remarked, her arms flying about dangerously as she began to tell her story, "It was a bright, sunny day just like this one and I was minding my own business, just sitting around here when all of a sudden, I see this creepy hooded figure appear and then BAM, the next thing I knew…the place was a wreck and this weird watery stuff was all over the place."

Jellal stepped forward and held his hand out as he asked quietly, "May I have a look at that?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Manda, "Sure thing!"

She jumped closer to him and handed the vial to him. He swirled the liquid around a little and held it at eye level before pulling out the stopper and raising it up so he could catch the scent. He frowned, but before he could think more on the whole thing, Manda wrapped her hand around his so they both had hold of the vial.

"Isn't it interesting!" she cried, "And if you look at it through the light…!"

She jerked their joint hands up and, of course, spilt the contents of the vial on top of Jellal's head. He closed his eyes as he felt the coldness spread down and envelop him completely.

_Just great_, he thought irritably, slowly reopening his eyes and finding Erza watching him with barely hidden concern. He reached up and touched the now sticky mess on his head and sighed before pinning Manda with a look. She was appearing suitably sheepish however and so he told her not to worry about the whole thing.

"Sorry again!" she said loudly, "Oh, dear me, I just remembered I have somewhere to be! I better go!"

And with that, she skipped off around the destruction and down one of the other paths.

"This town is filled with weirdos," Erza sighed, stepping closer to him, "Are you alright?"

He looked at the substance on his fingers; it was already drying like some sort of dark blue sand on his skin.

"I'd be better if I knew if this would have an effect on me," he remarked, "I can only hope it's harmless for now."

Erza nodded and stared up at the top of his head. He would've bent his knees a bit so she could look closer, but that would bring his face nearer towards her chest and, even though it was covered with her armour, he just knew he would turn red with the proximity.

"Well," Erza started, "It hasn't melted your hair off or anything yet."

She turned away and a small grin came to her face, "I can't imagine you being bald."

"And I don't think you should try," Jellal muttered, self-consciously tugging at a strand of his hair, "Come on, we should go to the other crime scene."

"Alright," said Erza, her tone warm with amusement, "Follow me."

She began walking back down the path they had taken and Jellal tried to go after her. Tried and basically failed.

As soon as he had taken a step, he felt a horrible lurch in his stomach which made his whole body unsteady. He stumbled forward and instinctively grabbed Erza's shoulders, causing her to stumble as well. She managed to stop them from falling in a heap on the path however and she froze while he tried to settle himself.

"Jellal? Are you alright?" she enquired while attempting to stop herself from being delighted that he had his hands on her.

"Ah…no, I don't think so," he admitted, quickly letting go of her and then promptly swaying about like a flower in the breeze.

Before he could fall sideways, Erza caught him around his waist with both her arms and steadied him.

"That potion must have messed with your sense of balance or something," she deduced. She supressed a grin and added without showing her glee, "You'll just have to lean on me."

She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started them walking, allowing herself for a moment to imagine that they were just a normal couple strolling through a town and enjoying each other's company. She glanced up at Jellal and noticed he was studiously looking away, a faint dusting of pink of his face.

_I wonder if he's embarrassed to be seen with me? No, that's ridiculous, it's probably that he doesn't want to be seen _leaning_ on me. Hmm…_

She peered down at her mostly metal outfit and decided she should wear something more casual as to not bring extra attention to the two of them as they walked. She simply requipped away her armour, leaving her still in her navy skirt and white blouse; it might look less obvious that he was leaning on her this way.

Erza noticed the almost imperceptible tightening of his arm around her and so she looked to him again and then raised an eyebrow at how the pinkness of his cheeks had darkened.

_What is he thinking about?_

She mentally shook her head and then tried to focus on walking them in the right direction. They didn't have to go through the large marketplace again, something for which Jellal was very glad about, even though he wouldn't have minded people seeing him with Erza and assuming they were together as a couple.

_No_, he thought angrily_, I can't think like that, the happy couple will never be us and I must accept that._

He stumbled a little and Erza put her arm around his torso for support, he could feel her warm hand pressing against his taut muscles and it was oddly then that he became aware of how close his hand was to her breasts.

He closed his eyes and attempted to empty out his mind, though he made sure to keep his lips pressed together as to not have a repeat of earlier. If he said anything embarrassing now, there was no way Erza wouldn't be able to hear him.

The street they were slowly making their way down had a few shops and Erza herself nearly smiled at the picture of her and Jellal's reflection in the shiny windows, her red hair gleaming in the light and his blue locks almost shimmering. She suddenly froze.

_Blue?_

"Jellal," she breathed, "The disguise potion has worn off."

He tensed at her words and followed her gaze to their reflection before he jerked and pulled his hood up. Voices began to flood the street as people emerged from every side road and building, reminding the two mages that it was getting close to lunchtime and the town was about to become very busy.

"Quickly," whispered Erza, "We must keep out of sight."

Jellal kept one hand firmly atop his hood to be sure it wouldn't fall back as they moved as fast as they could through the thickening crowds. They turned into another street and found it nearly clogged with people; they twisted back around and found they were going to be squashed on both sides very soon.

"In here," he directed, pointing to a narrow alley, "We'll just have to wait before we can continue."

She nodded and dashed forward, squeezing them between bustling people before all but throwing Jellal against the wall of the alley. He didn't make any sound of complaint, though that could be because of the shock at her next actions.

She pressed herself against him and pulled his head down into the crook of her neck, making sure that there was no way the tattooed side of his face would be visible. Heat rolled through him and he clenched his fists so he wouldn't grab hold of her and bring her even closer.

As much as he hated himself for it, he closed his eyes and began to savour being like they were, her scent filling him and taking turns soothing and stirring him up.

Erza watched the people moving along and hoped that she and Jellal would be able to pass as a passionate couple until the amount of people thinned out and they could give him the disguise potion again. If people saw him take it now, in this dark alley and with his hood up, they would no doubt think he was a serious kind of trouble.

Several moments went by and Erza became aware that she was idly twirling some of Jellal's hair around her fingers beneath his hood; she stopped immediately and then felt surprise jolt her as she felt him tense up. She resumed her play in the hopes that she was bringing him some comfort. Soon she forgot about keeping an eye on the crowds and instead focused on memorising this rare moment of peace.

_I never thought I'd ever get to hold him like this,_ she thought fondly_, I hope he can still breathe…_

She abruptly panicked and tried to remember when she last showered, her cheeks blooming bright pink.

_I bet I smell awful! Oh, I'm probably torturing him..._

And she was, just not in the way she thought. He had realised that if he just shifted forward ever so slightly, he would be kissing her neck. The temptation was killing him.

_Stay strong, Jellal,_ he told himself repeatedly, _Stay strong_.

Erza released her hold on him then and Jellal was a mix of relieved and disappointed.

"Uh, sorry about that," she muttered, looking away…embarrassedly?

He blinked upon seeing the tint of red on her face.

_Why is she blushing?_

Erza cleared her throat and stared at him levelly, as if the past five minutes hadn't happened.

"There's no-one around now," she stated, causing Jellal's stomach to flip and a devilish part of his mind to start throwing ideas around, "Once you drink a bit more of the potion, we should continue to the next location."

He nodded in agreement and then waited for her to produce the vial. She was frowning and then she patted herself down (Jellal felt the need to look away), growing increasingly panicked.

"I…I must have left it at the Inn," she said in mild distress, "Unbelievable…how could I have been so foolish?"

He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, we just need to make it back to the Inn without me being seen."

Jellal then took his hand away and turned, taking a step towards the opening of the alley. He fell forward and threw his hand out to grip the wall.

He sighed and added, "Oh yeah, and we have to deal with me being dead weight too…"

**AN: I love you guys XD Which i why i'm writing this while i'm sick so yay XD**

**This chapter was pretty long but not as good as previous ones :/ but thats because there's lots of awesome coming up, particularly in chapter 7 if things go according to my very vague plan XDDDD**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hello Readers! XD So...hehe, i know Jellal is all 'i'm unworthy wah wah wah' a lot of the time, but that's just how he is for now XD He'll get over it soonish maybe lol :p It'll happen :D **

**Also, heehe, i'm trying hard to balance this fic, meaning if Jealous!Erza gets an appearance...then so does Jealous!Jellal and if Drunk!Erza comes into it...then so does Drunk!Jellal..._if_ XD **

**I have a lot of fun ideas for this fic but, if by the end of it, something you wanted to have happen, hasn't happened, then i'll be open to doing bonus chapters with the stuff you wanted! I'm just nice like that haha XD**

**Anyway, i'm gonna stop talking now...sorry...**

**Chapter 6-**

"We'll just take it one step at a time," Erza said confidently, stepping closer to Jellal, who was still using the wall for support, "The Inn isn't that far away, we can manage."

Jellal sighed and straightened up; wincing as a wave of dizziness nearly overtook him. Erza was suddenly right beside him, putting her arm around his waist again and slinging one of his arms around her neck.

"I'll look after you," she told him seriously.

He stared down at her, an ache thumping in his chest.

"I don't deserve your help," he whispered, tearing his gaze away.

She scolded him, "Shut up and take it, I'm helping you whether you like it or not, got that?"

She pinched his side for emphasis, causing him to let out a (manly) yelp.

"Alright!" he grumbled, "I get it…I get it."

"Good," she nodded decisively and then she started them walking out of the alley.

"And put your hood back up too," she ordered.

He hastily pulled up the material which had fallen back a bit when she had thrown him against the wall.

"Yes, Ma'am," he muttered.

She pinched him again and added, "Are you being cheeky?"

"Of course not, Miss Scarlet," he answered as seriously as he could, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Nausea was swirling in his stomach; he was putting most of his energy into walking and trying not to put all of his weight on Erza, and so he was a little more flippant than he would normally be.

She glanced up at his mostly shadowed face as they waited for a group of people to pass.

"You're not going to throw up on me, are you?" she asked in warning.

He simply pressed his lips together and made an odd sound in response. She eyed him sternly, attempting to keep all signs of sympathy off her face even as she rubbed small, soothing circles on his abdomen with her palm.

When the street was clear they, as swiftly as they could, made their way along it and turned into the next one. It was several streets later in which they ran into a situation. There were a couple of twenty-something year olds ambling down the wide path.

Erza eased over to the brick wall and again pulled Jellal against her, however this time, because he stumbled a little, Jellal's face did not end up in the crook of her neck.

_So…warm…_he thought rather groggily, pressing even closer to her chest.

When he unconsciously started to nuzzle against her breasts, Erza snapped her hands up to hold his head still and she spoke his name in cautioning tone, prompting him to realise what he had been doing. If he had had the energy, he might've blushed and felt guilty…but he didn't.

"Come on," Erza whispered, "It's not far now."

She helped him get his lead-filled limbs working once more and she didn't tell him off when he hid his now sensitive eyes in her neck. He wasn't aware of much of the journey besides the fact that he felt pale and clammy and that it took a lot of effort to move and hold down his breakfast.

Erza however was in turns thankful and let down by the fact the Inn was now only metres away. Of course she wanted to get Jellal back to their room and disguised once more, but she also had realised that, just as their embrace in the alley earlier had been a rarity, so too was this opportunity to have him need and accept her.

She slightly tightened her hold on him and then sped them up, reaching for the door of the Sunnysmile Inn. Once inside, Mr Davden greeted them and, after he caught sight of Jellal practically draped over Erza, he eagerly tried to help them, continuing to fuss all the way up the stairs.

"If there's anything I can do!" he said with a worried smile, "Just let me know!"

"Thank you," responded Erza curtly as she led a rather unsteady Jellal over to the bed, "But I'm sure he'll be fine soon enough."

Mr Davden nodded furiously and backed out of the room before closing the door and leaving them alone. Jellal sat on the edge of the bed, a white-knuckled grip on his knees as he willed himself to feel better.

Erza, with surprising gentleness, pushed back his hood and tilted his head up, lightly brushing aside some of his blue hair.

"You look awful," she told him plainly, taking in the sight of his extra pale skin and eyes filled with discomfort.

She placed a hand to his forehead and hummed disapprovingly.

"You're hot," she said with a frown.

When his mouth twitched into a tiny smile, she wasn't above hitting his shoulder and blushing a little.

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath, stepping away from him and beginning to look around for where she had put the disguise potion.

Jellal let his eyes fall closed while she looked for it and he began to tell himself not to get used to having Erza looking after him. It took him several moments to realise that he no longer felt as if he were on a rapidly moving vehicle. He slowly re-opened his eyes and pulled in a deep breath.

"I think…" he said quietly, "I think whatever was in that water is wearing off now."

He reached a shaky hand up to his head and felt the sand-like substance begin to crumble.

"Good," remarked Erza as she walked back over to him, vial in hand, "Now stop making a mess and drink some of this."

She pulled out the stopper and then plucked up one of Jellal's hands, shaping it around the glass bottle and guiding it up towards his mouth. After he took a sip, she did the same and then put the stopper back in place. She could feel the slight trail of heat down her throat from the potion as she slipped it into one of his pockets and took note of the time it would wear off.

"Am I going to leave you here or are you coming with me?" she questioned, folding her arms across her chest, adding as an afterthought, "You should probably wash that residue out of your hair too, in case it has another effect on you."

He stared contemplatively up at her for a moment and then decided, despite still feeling ill, "It's more important to go to with you to the other attack site."

Erza nodded in acceptance of his choice, "Very well then."

Their eyes locked and suddenly Jellal was completely cleansed of all previous feelings of sickness. He got to his feet without warning, causing Erza to stumble back. He caught her waist and reflexively pulled her close. His hands seemed to burn where he touched her and so he quickly dropped his hold and looked away awkwardly.

"Thank you," he said softly, "for looking after me."

She stepped away and mumbled, "It was nothing, really."

She then cleared her throat and said louder, "We should get going again."

Jellal followed her out of the room and locked it behind them, but when he turned to follow her down the hallway, he noticed her standing perfectly still. It was as if she had heard something suspicious and was trying to listen out for it again. He approached her warily and watched as she seemed to shake herself out of whatever she was thinking about.

"Erza?" he asked, "Is something wrong?"

She glanced over to him, "No…I just thought I sensed something, that's all."

She started walking again and he quickened his pace to catch up, watching her with concern all the while. They descended the stairs and found Mr Davden at his desk; he was overjoyed at Jellal's recovery and again asked them to call on him if they needed anything.

_I just need to get rid of this uneasy feeling_, Erza thought as she headed over to the front door and opened it. She looked around outside while Jellal was stuck in Sunnysmile, reassuring Mr Davden that he really was fine.

Erza's eyes scanned the street and buildings in front of her restlessly; she even walked over to check in the side alley between the Inn and the next building down, she couldn't see anything odd however.

_Hmm_, she inwardly analysed, _I feel like someone is staring at me inappropriately, I feel someone is in my personal space and my skin is crawling..._

Her eyes widened and she paled, _that can only mean one thing!_

"Ichiya!" she yelled, spinning around in a sudden movement.

"My honey!"

Erza yelped (though she'll never admit to it) and backpedalled, cursing herself and the creepy older man for her not realising he was right behind her this whole time. Ichiya struck a flamboyant pose and said dramatically, "My honey, it is good to smell your wonderful parfum again."

Fighting a shudder, she stared sternly at the sparkling man.

"Why are you here exactly?"

Before Ichiya could respond, Erza caught sight of Jellal exiting the Inn out of the corner of her eye and she turned to watch him walk over to them. Oddly, her first thought was, _yes! Jellal will save me!_

She felt something against her skirt and looked down. Upon seeing Ichiya trying to sniff her clothes, she ruthlessly kicked him away, thinking, _kyaa! I'll save myself!_

"Erza?" Jellal was utterly confused about the situation as he came to a stop beside her and watched the other man rub an injury.

Instead of answering Jellal, Erza focused on Ichiya. Her burning gaze bore into him until he explained.

"Men! I was passing through this town when I thought I caught the scent of one of my favourite parfums!" he held up his hands in a familiar pose and sparkled, "So I followed it and found my honey!"

Jellal folded his arms and stared hard at the odd man, raising his eyebrow as he repeated, "My honey?"

He gained Ichiya's attention with that.

"Hmm, men…" Ichiya stroked his chin and eyed Jellal, "Have we met? Your parfum is familiar to me."

Both Jellal and Erza shifted uncomfortably, thinking that it would be best to get rid of the older mage as quickly as possible.

"So," stated Erza, "You've seen me and…sniffed me, if there's nothing else, we must be going now."

"Aha!" Ichiya jumped and held his arms up in yet another pose, "I have a gift for my honey!"

Erza tried not to sound worried, "You do?"

Ichiya inhaled deeply and it set off a surge of protectiveness within Jellal.

_He's smelling Erza_, he mentally growled.

He began to reason that he was allowed to feel protective of her because he and Erza were 'comrades' and, that being the case, and adding in her obvious uneasiness, he would also be allowed do something about it…perhaps use a spell he knew that would temporarily stop a person from being able to use one of their senses…

Ichiya suddenly slapped a hand to his nose in distress and Jellal tried to show no reaction.

"Well?" demanded Erza, oblivious.

Ichiya twitched and eyed Jellal once more before crying out, "Men! Yes…of course, I see…_that_ parfum…"

Erza raised her eyebrow and Jellal's expression tightened almost imperceptibly.

"For you!" Ichiya then exclaimed, snapping his arm out and extending it towards Erza, "My honey, the parfum of relaxation!"

She took it a little hesitantly, waiting for him to suddenly lunge and try sniffing her again. When he did nothing, she nodded towards him.

"Thank you for your gift," she said, "But we must get on with our mission now."

Ichiya held out his hand and looked away as theatrically as he could, "My honey, I understand and I too, have a mission to get back to. The parfum of farewells is bittersweet."

Unsure how exactly to respond to that, Erza simply nodded again and grabbed Jellal's arm, starting them off down the street. With every step away from Ichiya, both mages felt relief soak in.

"That guy…" muttered Erza, mostly to herself, "I wish he wasn't so…unsettling."

They strode in silence after that and it wasn't their typical awkward one either, well it was a little for Jellal because he was sure Ichiya had figured him out. Neither of them noticed when Erza's hand slipped down his forearm and her fingers tangled with his nor did they notice when he began to walk even closer to her and swung their joint hands occasionally.

They were absorbed in their own thoughts; Jellal wondered again if he had taken it a bit far with Ichiya and Erza was trying to figure out what had happened back there. Erza stopped abruptly, pulled the folded up map out from her boot and studied it, looking around, re-orienting herself and then marching off again.

It was only when she had stopped that Jellal had realised they had been holding hands for the past five or so minutes. He dazedly watched her walking a few steps ahead and then he shook himself and caught up to her.

"The public baths," announced Erza, "should be right around this next corner."

True to her word, and the map, they turned into the next street and found that at the end of the short road was a large building which seemed to be designed all in curves. The bold sign carved into the front archway declared it to be the Azolla Baths and, despite being made of some sort of ugly tan stone, it was very inviting.

"Community baths," said Jellal as they made their way over to the entrance, "And the town gardens…does someone have a grudge against Azolla or just public amenities?"

Erza smirked a little in response, "Whatever the case, we'll get to the truth and catch this criminal."

They shared a look and a small smile that seemed to heat them both from the inside out, then Erza turned away and reached out for the door to push it open.

Inside was vast and decorated with absurd amounts of coloured tiles arranged in many distracting, patterned paths that led to four, currently empty, different sized pools. The walls were all murals of the townsfolk and hanging from the ceilings were various bright decorations of weird creatures.

Jellal couldn't stop from pulling a face, "The attacker really did a number on this place, didn't they."

Erza chuckled, "I think you'll find this is how it normally looks in here."

As Jellal tried and failed to suppress a sound of disgust, Erza noticed someone entering from a door at the back of the large room. It was a tall, white haired old woman with a bounce in her step.

"Hello!" the woman called as she approached, "You're the mages investigating are you?"

Jellal and Erza cautiously met the woman half way.

"That's us," answered Erza.

"Well that's grand," the woman said seriously, "This place has been closed since the attack yesterday morning, no-one's been in or out except me. Come this way!"

She spun around and said over her shoulder, "You can call me Juley by the way."

Without bothering to see if they followed her, which they of course did, Juley marched over the speckled tiles and returned to the door she had come from.

"The largest bath is out here," the woman told them as she opened the door and stepped outside, "When I found it like this, I reported it and was told to make sure no-one else messed with it, so that's what I did, I closed the place down, I'm only here now to sort a few things out, I'll have to ask you both to leave out a different way because I'm gonna lock the doors now."

Jellal and Erza wore matching expressions of deep thought as they headed further into the walled outside area and surveyed the destruction. Chunks of stone and those gaudy tiles were everywhere and it was even hard to tell the massive pool had once been circular. Remnants of the wooden benches that had been placed along the wall, were strewn around haphazardly like fallen soldiers.

"There's a path down the side there that you can take," Juley explained, "I'm off home now so, take care."

Jellal watched the woman as she returned inside and locked them out, then he shook his head and found that Erza had jumped down into the rubble filled pit that had been the bath. He knew he didn't have to call out any warnings to her about watching where she puts her feet, but that didn't stop him from wanting to.

While she carefully stepped through the debris and occasionally picked a piece up, Jellal examined the outer ring of the pool.

"Definitely the same person or persons," he remarked, "And the woman didn't say anything about anyone being injured…"

He crossed his arms and looked down at Erza as she straightened up.

"So what are you thinking?" she asked him.

He grew thoughtful for a moment before answering, "I'm thinking the attacker did this place a favour, it looks much better now."

"Jellal," Erza scolded, turning away so he wouldn't see her smile and roll her eyes.

"Other than that," he said, "I find it interesting that whenever a place is hit, there is no-one really around, meaning the mage's goal is not to hurt people."

"Yes," agreed Erza, "They must have some other motive."

They continued to look around and learn as much as they could; trying to imagine how whoever had done the damage went about it. As Erza was about to climb out of the ruined bath, she caught sight of something, a flash of colour between lumps of grey rocks. She easily moved the top rock away and then gasped in delight.

"Jellal! Come and see this!"

He frowned and made his way over, hopping down into the mess with her.

"Erza," he warned, seeing the expression on her face.

Sitting in pristine condition on a white plate resting on a misshapen stone, was a piece of strawberry cheesecake. It even had a little fork with it.

If he hadn't been concerned about the situation, Jellal might've found it funny and cute the way her eyes were wide and sparkling happily while gazing the dessert.

"It's clearly been tampered with in some way," he told her, stepping back.

"It's perfect," sighed Erza.

"I mean it must have a spell on it or a potion mixed in," he said, his worry increasing, "It's highly suspicious, don't touch it."

He looked away for a second, _a second_, and when he looked back…Erza was already digging into the cake with the little fork.

"Erza," he groaned, "You're unbelievable."

The scarlet haired woman then took him completely by surprise yet again in the next moment. She put the half eaten cake down and turned to him with a passionate look in her eyes that made him highly aware of her body and his own.

"Oh, I think…" she purred, stepping closer to him, "It's _you_ who's unbelievable, Jellal."

"E-erza?" he asked, his heart stuttering like his words as she pressed herself against him.

**AN: Also don't forget you can find me on tumblr and i do post sneak peeks XD also you'd like our jerza blog with the cute headcanons and fanart XDDD**

**Yes so...next chapter should be fun! Pervy!Erza for the win! Poor Jellal... ;) ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Heeeyyy XD So, sorry if you didn't like the previous chapter :P I tried to make it a bit less awesome because i wanted this chapter to look more awesomererer even though i think i built it up a bit too much lol :P Anyway...i hope you like this one! Also, obviously, Erza's gonna be out of character for this chapter...**

**Chapter 7-**

"What's the matter, Jellal?" Erza whispered in his ear, her hands slipping under his jacket and rubbing his shoulders, "Getting a little hot?"

"E-erza," he struggled to say, "I told you not to touch that cake, whatever magic it had is now affecting you."

She mostly ignored his words and stroked the shell of his ear with her nose, making a small shudder run through his body.

"_Someone's_ being affected here…" she said as one of her hands slithered down his chest and brushed his tensed stomach, "And it's not me."

He quickly grabbed her wandering hand before it could reach his belt.

"Erza," he warned, taking a step back.

Her heated gaze roamed over him and a sly smile curved her lips, "You can't reject me forever, Jellal."

He stared hard at her, his heart pounding furiously in his ears.

"This isn't you," he stated, grabbing her other hand as well to halt its movements, "Snap out of it already."

He let her hands drop and turned away, beginning to climb out of the destroyed pool by placing his hands on some large stone chunks on the side.

"Erza!" he scolded, looking over his shoulder at her.

"What?" she asked innocently, as if it were perfectly normal for her hands to be on his ass, "I'm only helping you to get up."

She reinforced the idea by pushing at him. He grumbled under his breath and hurriedly pulled himself out of the bath, thinking wryly, _you've already helped with _that_._

Jellal turned around and offered his hand to Erza; she took it after staring straight into his eyes and slowly licking her lips. He struggled to ignore the heating of his insides as he helped her up, and it became that much harder when she kicked off with her strong legs and practically launched herself at him.

He stumbled back a small step and reflexively put his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck and encircled his waist with her arms.

"Erza," he said tensely, "You need to let go of me and we need to get back to the inn and keep you out of trouble until this magic wears off."

Her lips brushed against his skin as she whispered playfully, "But I don't want to let go."

He shifted his hands to her hips and tried to gently push her away, needing some distance so he could think properly. She had an excellent grip on him however and he didn't want to hurt her, so he had to change tactics.

"Erza…you can hold my hand the whole time, if you want," he said a tad hesitantly, unsure how that suggestion would go down and wondering when his life had gotten so weird.

She let go of him and smiled as she announced, "I have an even better idea."

Dread crept along his spine and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to ask, "And what's that?"  
Instead of answering, Erza simply told him to turn around and, figuring he didn't really have a choice, he complied. In the next second, she climbed on his back, her limbs tight around him.

"How is this a better idea?" Jellal muttered to himself as he gingerly placed his hands on the back of her knees to support her.

She laughed and leaned forward press her cheek to his tattooed one.

"Don't you think this is good?" she asked, beginning to smooth her hands along his chest.

She then requipped away her boots and slowly, gently dragged her heels up and down the insides of his thighs.

"Erza," he wheezed with slight desperation, "Stop it!"

"Kiss me and I will," she purred in challenge.

"W-what?" Jellal's grip tightened as his pulse sped up dramatically and brought heat to his face, "N-no, I won't kiss you."

Just the very thought of his lips touching hers stirred something deep down within him, it simmered low in his belly and gave him an uncomfortable awareness of _everything_.

"You won't?" she pouted, "Well, that's too bad..."

He realised then that she had distracted him with talk of kissing and now had half of the buttons of his shirt undone. He let out a startled growl and began to war with her hands as he tried to put his clothes back in order.

"You're no fun, Jellal," Erza complained, her troublesome hands settling over his rapidly beating heart.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, "So I've been told."

He looked around for the path Juley had mentioned earlier and spotted a busted gate along the wall straight ahead and to the right.

He started walking them towards it but stumbled when Erza blew into his ear. He made a sound of irritation as he straightened up and tilted his head, trying to rub away the unsettling sensation with his shoulder.

The mischievous woman clinging to his back giggled and the sound disturbed Jellal somewhat because it just seemed…out of character.

He told himself to shove everything out of his mind that wasn't his goal, he had to get Erza back to the inn where she couldn't cause any trouble, he wasn't allowed to think about how he could feel every inch of her body against his back and he certainly wasn't allowed to think about how he had his hands on her bare skin.

He inwardly groaned and decided, as they passed through the broken gate and Erza drew circles on his chest, that he never wanted to see another cheesecake again in his life.

They were now on a narrow path that edged down along the side of the Azolla Bathhouse; it was cobblestone and branched out back to the front entrance of the building. When they were on the street once more, Jellal couldn't help but be a bit relieved that they were slowly getting closer to the inn and relative safety.

"You still need to wash this sandy residue out of your hair," mentioned Erza in a low, seductive tone, "Can I help with that?"

Jellal tensed and forced himself to reply calmly, "I think I can handle that by myself, thank you."

"Alright then," she sighed heavily, right by his ear, "but if you need help _handling_ anything else…just let me know."

"Erza!" he gasped, heat flooding his body.

"Yes?" she enquired sweetly, rubbing her cheek to his.

He pulled in a deep breath and then exhaled noisily, "You're impossible."

"And you need a haircut," she responded, starting to twirl a lock of his blue hair around her finger.

"Do I?" he asked disinterestedly, focussing more on trying to remember the way to the inn and trying to get there quickly.

"Yes," she said tugging his hair.

"Well, you know, I've been busy bringing down dark guilds so…" he trailed off, unsure why he was even continuing the conversation.

Erza made a thoughtful sound and fell silent for a few minutes, allowing Jellal to gather his scattered thoughts. He realised he had taken them down the wrong street and that they were now on the grass at some public rest area that had a wooden bench surrounded by bright flowers.

"You should get a mohawk!" Erza exclaimed, startling him slightly and wrapping her arms tight around his neck in her excitement.

"You're…" he coughed, using one hand to try and loosen her hold, "kidding…right?"

"No, not at all," she answered, giving him a tiny bit of freedom, "I think it'll look sexy!"

His face burned as he stepped further onto the soft grass, "W-what?"

"It'd be a good look for you," she told him huskily, "but I'd just be happy as long as you leave me something to grab onto."

"E-excuse me?" he spluttered.

"You know what I mean," she whispered, tracing a finger down the side of his face.

She then surprised him by suddenly digging her heels in just below his hips, causing him to bend forward reflexively and fall onto his hands and knees. The impact travelled up through his arms and he clenched his hands into the grass as he glared at the ground.

Erza stroked his back for a moment as she sat proudly astride him like he was a beast she'd tamed. She then planted her feet firmly, stood up and roughly flipped him over onto his back. She quickly grabbed his wrists, pinning them to the ground as she straddled him again and grinned.

Jellal stared wide-eyed at the scarlet haired beauty and cleared his throat.

"Erza…" he started slowly, "You need to stop behaving like this."

"Why?" she asked in a low voice, bringing her face close to his, "Are you struggling there…Jelly?"

Because her lips were hovering just over his, he couldn't even _think_ about her question or her little nickname for him, his poor brain was frying and that was before she ground herself against him. When she did _that_, Jellal groaned and slammed his eyes shut.

_Sweet torture_…he thought as a pulse of desire shot through him.

"Erza, _stop_," he said through gritted teeth.

"What?" she questioned breathily, "Don't you want me?"

_Shit…what's the right answer here? _he asked himself as he opened his eyes and stared desperately up at the vivid blue sky.

Erza rubbed her face in his neck again and then began to kiss up his throat and along his jaw, the little touches sending sparks along his skin.

_No, this isn't right at all!_

_But it _feels_ right_, taunted another voice, _doesn't it?_

_She's being influenced by magic, she doesn't know what she's doing and even if she did…_

He had to turn his head away because she was getting too close to his mouth.

_…she deserves better than me._

"Jellal," Erza said, a hint of complaint in her tone, "Quit playing hard to get already."

He steeled himself to do whatever was necessary in order to stop her from doing things she would later regret.

_I have to hurt her to stop her from hurting herself._

He pulled in a deep breath and then told her firmly, "No, Erza, I don't want you."

She froze for a moment and then pulled her head up so she could meet his gaze, her silky hair settling back against her chest.

"What?" she asked, a slight, disbelieving smile on her face.

He tried not to wince; he didn't want to have to say the lie again.

"I don't want you, Erza," he stated, adding last second, "And I have a fiancée, remember?"

The woman narrowed her eyes at him, her grip on his wrists tightening.

She forced a small smile, "We both know you were lying about that, now don't we and besides, I can _feel_ that you want me. Unlike you, your body doesn't lie."

He clenched his teeth as she rubbed her body against his again and sent delicious arcs of heat through him. Yes, Erza was right of course, his body _was_ screaming out for her, there was no way either of them could pretend that it wasn't.

"That," he exhaled, "Doesn't matter…I will not give in to you."

Erza rolled her dark eyes and shrugged, "Fine, if you don't want to play, I'll find someone who does."

Her words completely doused the heat that simmered inside him.

"What?" he breathed.

She smirked and jumped to her feet, releasing her hold on his wrists as she did so. She then sprinted off, leaving him completely alone with his turbulent feelings.

_No, no, no!_

Jellal propelled himself up and ran after her, his imagination giving him plenty of fuel to charge heedlessly after Erza.

He knew (or rather, hoped very strongly) that he would never take advantage of her current state, but there was nothing to stop others from accepting her advances, especially when they wouldn't know she was not herself.

His heavy footsteps echoed down the street ominously and his eyes ceaselessly searched for any indication about which way she might've gone next.

Up ahead, the street turned into an intersection and Jellal nearly panicked about which way he should go. Fortunately, he could hear a familiar voice from on the road on the right but, unfortunately, it was Erza shouting that she wanted to 'play.'

He sped up and pelted around the corner into the dead-end road. He skidded to the stop, his jaw dropping for a second and then snapping closed as a glare settled on his face.

Erza had an arm around the necks of two ungainly men; she had them pulled in close, their faces almost touching hers even as they practically undressed her with their eyes.

_No-one should be allowed to get that close to Erza_, Jellal hissed mentally while he marched over to the trio.

"Erza," he said curtly, "Come with me now."

The taller and less attractive of the two men turned his small eyes over to him and then back to Erza's breasts.

"This guy your boyfriend?" he sneered.

"No," snorted Erza in response, "He 'doesn't want me'."

Jellal's jaw tightened as the other man put a hand on her hip and said, "His loss then eh, babe?"

Erza grinned coyly and nodded. The sight of her being so close to those disgusting beings, looking and _touching_ them, it made Jellal's vision awash with red and his chest burn. The only scenario in which he would not interfere with Erza and another man would be if she were truly happy, cared for and in her right mind.

He unconsciously let out a growl and Erza glanced over to him, a smirk on her face as she raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Erza," he commanded, "You're coming with me."

Her smirk grew and her eyes sparkled dangerously, "Interesting…I can't decide if I prefer the flustered you or the 'in charge' you…both are rather alluring but I think I'll stay with these two and have some fun."

She turned her attention back to the tall, ugly man who then groped her breast. Something inside Jellal snapped at that point and his conviction to do whatever he had to grew even stronger.

He wasn't allowed to attack the men, it would look bad, so he needed another idea, one that would get Erza away and wouldn't hurt anyone in the process.

His face set determinedly as he raised his hands up to his shirt, quickly undoing several buttons as he called for Erza's attention once more.

"Erza."

She looked over at him, ignoring the grumbles of complaint from her two companions. Her eyes darkened with hunger as she watched each little bit of his muscled torso become visible.

"Let's go back to the inn now," he said meaningfully.

"You want to play now, do you?" she asked, her voice low with heat.

The man with his hands all over her tried to turn her face to his, but she released both he and his friend and shoved them away easily before slinking closer to Jellal.

_I'm just pretending_, thought Jellal, _I have to remember that and stay in control._

"Yeah," he replied to her, letting his hands drop away now that his shirt was half unbuttoned, "We'll play back at the inn."

He put his arm around her shoulders and started them back down the street, resisting the urge to glare at the disgruntled men who were left behind.

Erza leaned her head against him, slid her arms around him and even slipped one of her hands into the gap of his shirt, her fingers grazing against the heated skin of his abdominals in slow, torturous movements. He was using most of his willpower to try to ignore the sensations she was provoking, he needed to think of the next stage of his plan.

"Jellal," whispered Erza as they rounded the next corner.

He didn't want to respond to her, worried she might say something that would unbalance him. They passed a couple of old women, who gave them an odd look, and then they were walking alone again.

"Jellal," Erza sighed, digging her nails into him a little and causing him to tense.

He hoped that she was returning to normal and so reluctantly answered as he stared down at her.

"Yeah?"

"You feel really good," she told him warmly as she nuzzled against his shoulder, "I'm very much looking forward to being back in our room…"

_She's not back to normal yet then_, he decided tiredly. Before he could begin to worry if she would remember her behaviour or not when the magic wears off, Jellal steered himself and Erza across the road.

Sunnysmile Inn was now just ahead, and while Erza was growing more excited, worry was wrapping itself around Jellal. He still wasn't exactly sure how he was going to deter the provocative woman once they were inside.

As they reached the door of the familiar building, Jellal paused and pressed his hand over Erza's to stop her from sneaking it under his waistband. He gave her a warning look.

"Behave, at least until we're in our room," he said firmly.

She winked at him and withdrew her arms from around him. He did up a few of his buttons before pushing open the door of the inn and stepping inside.

Mr Davden wasn't around, thankfully, and so Jellal led the way up the stairs with Erza uncomfortably close behind him, she was whispering something fervently under her breath. It wasn't until he was about to unlock the door to their room that he realised she was saying 'Hot Jelly time' over and over again.

His face burned bright red and their room key slipped out of his fingers, prompting him to curse on a sigh. He bent down to pick up the key but dropped it again when Erza slapped his rear.

"_Erza!" _he hissed.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said sheepishly as he straightened up.

He stared directly into her eyes as he stabbed the key into the lock and twisted it. The heat between them increased and he had to remind himself that Erza was not in control. As soon as the door was open and the key was back in Jellal's pocket, the woman sprang into action.

She pulled him inside and pushed the door shut with his body, her hands on his strong shoulders, holding him against the door and setting his pulse racing. Jellal tried to stop his eyes from roaming over her fine features and he also tried to stop himself from reacting to her body being up along his. She bit her lip and met his gaze.

"Are you going to kiss me now, Jellal?" she asked, "Or are you too shy and need _me_ to kiss _you_?"

He took a moment to mentally remind himself that he was only pretending and that Erza was being influenced by magic.

_This isn't real._

"I'll kiss you," he said quietly.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders and a smile curved her lips, "You will?"

He nodded, "If you're sitting on the bed."

She laughed softly and shrugged, "Have it your way then."

Stepping back and letting her hands fall away, she turned and slowly strode over to the bed, her hips swaying in that mysterious, enticing way that felt sinful to witness.

She perched on the edge of the bed and tossed her head of scarlet hair over her shoulder. Jellal's hands clenched, he wanted to touch that hair, run his fingers through it, hold on to it and tug her closer with it.

_This _isn't_ real._

He inhaled deeply and stepped forward on the exhale, a vague plan swirling in his mind. When he was standing before her, she looked up at him expectantly.

"Not yet," he told her, "Move back further."

She shuffled backwards and he directed her until she was sitting in the middle of the bed, her legs stretched out straight in front of her. As he climbed onto the bed, he almost couldn't believe the situation he had gotten himself into.

Erza was eyeing him like he was a piece of meat she was starving for, it was messing with him, making his body tingle with awareness as he placed a knee on either side of her legs and straightened up. She turned her face up to his and waited with a smile of anticipation on her lips.

_This isn't real_.

He didn't want to get into the 'and even if it was real' train of thought at the moment, he had other things to think about, all he needed was to keep reminding himself that Erza wasn't herself. He placed his hands on her shoulders and then slid them down her arms to her wrists.

He lightly gripped them and guided them around to her back, his movement bringing their faces dangerously close. Erza's eyes were wide and eager; it was an incredible that Jellal was able to stop himself from giving in and kissing her.

He firmly held her wrists with one of his hands and then placed his other on her shoulder again. Without warning, he pressed her back onto the bed and rolled them over, his legs wrapping tightly around her, his whole body preventing her from taking any actions. Her breath rushed out of her lungs, he could feel it on his neck.

"You were tricking me this whole time!" she accused, struggling in his arms.

He responded through his teeth after she bumped him in a sensitive spot, "Maybe I just wanted to hold you for a while, Erza."

She let out a 'humph' but stopped her squirming.

"I'm not comfortable," she said irritably a moment later.

"Neither am I," he sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

"We _could_ be comfortable," she hinted, lifting her head a bit to see his face, "If you let me go…"

"No."

"I'll hurt you," she threatened.

He increased his grip on her, "I'm sure I'll survive."

To his surprise and relief, Erza fell silent and didn't try anything, but he stayed tensed, waiting in case she did. He imagined they would be stuck for hours like this until the magic from the cake left her.

_Hours and hours_, he thought, his stomach sinking.

About five minutes later, he realised Erza hadn't said anything in a while and so he raised his head to try and see her.

He moaned quietly, seeing her sleeping face.

Even though Erza was in the land of dreams, poor Jellal couldn't risk moving for fear of waking her up.

"Unbelievable," he grumbled.

**AN: I honestly dont know why Erza's so obsessed with Jellal's ass, some stuff just happens eh hahahaha oh jellybaby XD **

**Also MOHAWK!JELLAL hehehe, i've been obsessed with that and i managed to get my friend to do some art for it! It's on my fanfic blog! heheehe #sohappyrightnow lol**

**PS- next chapter may or may not be a bit late since i'm going to be working on a nalu request fic for a lovely person XD I'll do my best though**


	8. Chapter 8- Bonusish

**AN: Yo! So it's practically tradition in my fics (and by that i mean its happened once) that in chapter eight The Bartender makes an appearance! For those of you who haven't read my Wanted: Gray Fullbuster fic...he was just a random character who, obvs, is a bartender and he had to deal with drunk!Gray blabbing on about Juvia and also Lyon as well. Thanks to Shadow Mystery for reminding/prompting me to bring our bartender into it.  
**

**This is just a quick, short chapter to tide you lot over until i write an actual chapter...sorry.**

**Chapter 8- feat. The Bartender**

As he glanced around the slightly unfamiliar interior of 'Molly's Bar and Restaurant', the bartender sighed and wondered how on earth he had ended up working there while he was supposed to be on holiday.

_Reggie Bloody Davden_, _that's how_, he thought, though he was surprisingly not that bitter about it, he preferred to be working anyway; it kept his thoughts away from unpleasant things, most of the time anyway.

The bartender, Davden and Davden's wife Molly, had all attended a managerial course together a few years ago and, several weeks past, Davden had reached out and offered the bartender a room at the inn he ran.

Though he usually never bothered with holidays, the bartender had decided he really should take one in order for him to be able to continue to put up with the customers he had been getting lately.

As it happened, he had arrived at Sunnysmile Inn around midmorning and had almost immediately been ambushed by two irritating old ladies by the names of Dotty and Maddy. The bartender's old friend had rescued him then, only to beg for help the moment they were alone.

Apparently the regular bartender at Molly's Bar was sick and Mr Davden had told his wife that he would find a replacement. Agreeing because of an old debt, the bartender had stomped up to his room, 212, and had dumped his luggage on his bed. He had thought it was just _typical_ that he wouldn't even have time to unpack...

Currently the bartender was surveying the cosily decorated establishment run by his friend's wife and couldn't help but think Molly had rather expensive taste.

A bland faced person came up to the bartender and ordered a drink. While he prepared the beverage, the bartender smiled to himself just slightly.

_It's nice and quiet without all those crazy wizards, maybe I should come work here more often to escape them…_

For the past couple of weeks, ever since that troublesome Gray Fullbuster had sat down at his real workplace on Dandelion Ave, the bartender had been forced to endure the company of a plethora of local mages, and outsiders too.

He was now more familiar than he would've liked to be with most of them, especially those damn Fairy Tail wizards.

For some reason, 'The Gray', which was how young Mr Fullbuster introduced himself when he was drunk, came over to the Dandy Lion Bar every night…just to talk…and sometimes to just sit there…

The bartender snorted and handed the customer their drink before beginning to rub down the counter top, wondering why he felt a tiny twinge in his chest.

_Tch, it's not like I miss those weirdoes or anything_, he thought, shaking his smooth head,_ do I?_

A lot of the wizards that came around and spilled their guts to him had, for some reason, made the mistake of thinking that he actually cared about all their problems, which he didn't.

The bartender sighed and stared down at the shiny bar, able to see the reflection of his handsome featured face for a moment in it before he sprayed it with a cleaning product. As the smell of citrus filled his nose, the bartender tried to convince himself that he really was fine with being without those rambunctious idiots.

_They're the reason I needed a holiday. I don't like having days off, but maybe this time, after I stop working, I'll be able to relax…it's so peaceful here._

A flash of blue appeared in the bartender's peripheral vision and he instinctively glanced up. His mouth fell open as he registered that he was looking at someone from Magnolia. His widened, dark eyes took in the sight of the beautiful blue haired woman and he couldn't stop himself from saying her name.

"Juvia?"

The woman in question was by the front entrance of the building and her head snapped around at the sound of his voice. She recognised him instantly; he could see it in her face. Juvia let out a little frightened squeak and then disappeared out that door.

"Humph," the bartender grumbled, "Why is she so skittish? Not that I actually care…"

He turned around and began to organise various things around the bar as he explained to himself that he had gotten used to having those crazy mages around him and that it really would do him some good to get some distance and remember he was trying to hold a grudge against magic users. The bartender unconsciously rubbed his hand over his bald head and frowned.

_Yeah_, he thought_, I need to stay away from them, thank god for Azolla Town and its general lack of wizards._

The next couple of hours dragged on for the bartender, but at least Molly's Bar was meticulously organised and tidy.

Just after he glanced at the old style clock over the fireplace, the bartender noticed a couple of people come into the building.

"Huh," he muttered dryly to himself, shaking his head as he observed Erza Scarlet walk in with a man he didn't recognise, "I just can't get away from these people."

The bartender never saw much of Erza as she only came into his bar when it was a group of them, but he had exchanged a few polite words with her, she seemed to be a sensible sort of lady. The bartender's forehead crinkled as he studied her strange companion, well, the man wasn't _strange_ exactly, just unfamiliar.

The two new arrivals were directed by Molly to a table and she took their late lunch order. The bartender watched them because he was bored, not because he was particularly interested in them. He wiped down the bar yet again and stared at the man Erza was with, his gaze lingering on the man's dark purple hair.

The hand the bartender had on the wash cloth clenched and the other again ran over his head in a subconscious gesture.

_Stupid magic_, he mentally grumbled, _it's just unbelievable_.

**AN: So yes, next chapter we'll see how Jellal (yes that really was him, in his disguise hehe) and Erza ended up having lunch! I hope some of you enjoyed that little reunion with the tsundere! I mean...the bartender! I know it was not a great chapter for some since it had no jerza but dudes, i have lots to write these days so... :(**

**Also did i ever tell you that i'm thinking about giving the bartender his own sort of series thing? Well anyways, see ya next time! I'll try my best XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Better late than never right? Yeah sorry it took me so long, i just wasn't inspired (i knew what to write but it wouldn't happen) and also i had a lot of other stuff to do :p**

**I honestly didn't think it would take me this long to update, so i'm sorry but I'm back now.**

**And hello cute 'guest', that was very nice of you to say! You all might've noticed the rating is now 'M' but don't get too excited just yet o.O I just thought its better to be safe than sorry at the moment. As for a lemon...i'll just have to see how we go XD**

**Also i totally skip over a scene because im lazy and i wanted to get to more interesting stuff o.O**

**Chapter 9-**

They _weren't_ stuck like that for hours like Jellal had predicted, no, instead Erza only slept for half an hour. She awoke with a jolt and he immediately released her from his hold. She scrambled back away from him and stared with wide eyes and a blush colouring her face.

"J-jellal," she said shakily, "I…"

He slowly sat up and rolled his shoulders, removing some of the tension from having held her in that position for so long. His own face was tinged red as he stared fixedly at his hands.

"It's alright, Erza," he responded softly, "You were affected by magic…"

He paused before adding, "How are you feeling?"

What he really wanted to know was how much she remembered, did she remember her actions? Or, possibly more importantly, did she remember _his_ actions?

Erza shifted a tad uncomfortably, "I feel fine…just embarrassed."

She waited a moment before forcing herself to add, "Thank you, by the way, for stopping me."

Jellal swallowed hard and rubbed his arm before he replied as evenly as he could, "It was nothing, you probably had no control over your actions, it's not like you would ever-"

He cut himself off and winced, cursing mentally for saying more than he should. Erza looked away, deciding that she would definitely keep what she knew to herself. She knew that the magic in the cheesecake had only taken away her inhibitions and forced her to act impulsively and in a way she would never _allow_ herself to act, she had done things she would do if she were reckless and brave enough.

She suddenly recalled very clearly when Jellal's face had been so close to hers, when he had been going along with her antics. Heat pooled low in her stomach and she cursed herself and Jellal.

_That's it_, she vowed silently, _I will not allow myself to be affected by him any longer! It's unacceptable, I need more control, if I had had control, the magic of the cake wouldn't have affected me._

While she was scolding herself, Jellal was just trying to erase all thoughts of Erza's earlier behaviour; he needed to separate her and her actions in his mind. Silence filled the room, but they were both so much in their thoughts that they neither noticed nor were bothered by it. A knock on the door jolted them and was followed a moment later by the voice of Mr Davden.

"Excuse me, but are you, by any chance, in there?" the man enquired, "I have been told by the Mayor himself to tell you that there has just been another attack!"

Erza and Jellal's eyes jumped up and met before they hurried over to the door. Jellal opened it, revealing a rather worried looking Mr Davden.

"Another attack, you say?" asked Erza immediately.

Mr Davden nodded, "At the aquarium apparently."

Erza requipped her casual armour back on and then pulled out the folded map from her boot and thrust it into the man's hand, telling him to point out the latest attack site. As soon as he did so, she reclaimed the map and stepped past him into the hallway, striding off determinedly without bothering to check if Jellal was following her or not. He did, but after politely excusing himself from Mr Davden and also locking their room once more.

* * *

Jellal stifled a yawn as he and Erza walked along a cobblestone street.

"The attacks are similar," stated the red haired mage in a business like tone, "This attack on the aquarium had no causalities or even any injuries."

"Yeah," agreed Jellal, rubbing his eyes, "Not even the tanks or fish were harmed, only the seating areas and a few display stands."

"We're starting to get a good idea about the culprit at least," remarked Erza, "It won't be long now until we catch them."

Jellal did yawn then and Erza's stomach growled loudly. They looked a little sheepishly at each other.

"Maybe we should discuss it over lunch," suggested Erza, spying a restaurant across the street.

Jellal simply nodded in answer. As they headed towards the welcoming building, he watched Erza warily, still half waiting for her to try and seduce him again. It would probably be a while for him before he could look at her without remembering the sultry expressions she had worn.

_If she ever looked at me like that without being influenced by magic, not that that would ever happen or that I would deserve that…but if it did happen, I would probably not survive._

He imagined the scenario and decided that he would most definitely melt into a puddle at Erza's feet. While he followed Erza into the building, he fought off yet another yawn and mentally cursed his tiredness.

The effort from trying to keep Erza from doing anything crazy earlier, along with his rather uncomfortable night of sleep, had left poor Jellal quite drained. Erza herself seemed fine and he reasoned it was because she got to have that little nap just before.

The thought made him yawn again and he nearly walked into a chair because of it. Erza took the lead and scanned the room, noticing the bartender and narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him as she wondered why he was there. Her attention was then taken by a squat woman with curly brown hair and a friendly smile.

The woman guided Erza and Jellal to a table and took their order, though Jellal had to repeat his a couple of times because he kept yawning mid-word. As soon as the woman was gone, Erza let herself study Jellal in concern.

"You look awful…Sapphire," she remarked, remembering last second that she had to use his false name in case of any unfriendly ears. Her statement was true of course, Jellal wasn't particularly at his best, he was practically slumped in his chair, his hair was messy (more than usual anyway) and his green eyes looked tired. He clumsily scrubbed at his face in an attempt to keep himself awake.

"Thanks, Erza," he said dryly, "But don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"Mhm," she responded, folding her arms and staring with a gaze that clearly said she didn't believe him for a second, "You should rest soon; it'll be no good to have you around when you're like this."

A waitress arrived with their food then and set it down before them. Erza tensed slightly, imagining that the other woman would let her gaze linger on Jellal. Surprisingly, the waitress didn't give him a second glance and instead let her appreciative eyes wander over Erza herself.

The red haired mage straightened up a little in pride, a small smirk spreading on her lips. Jellal stared at her as he rested his head in his hand and idly jabbed at his plate of food with the dainty fork.

"So," he said after he yawned yet again, "We should think of a plan to capture this mage."

Erza nodded and mulled different ideas over as she ate. She very nearly forgot Jellal was even there until he spoke up.

"Erza, you're…"

She blinked and realised she had been mindlessly shovelling imaginary food into her mouth, as her meal in actuality had been finished a few minutes ago. She dropped her utensils and hated the way heat climbed up her body and tinted her cheeks pink.

"Yeah, well," she said defensively, "You're annoying."

Jellal raised an eyebrow, "Am I?"

"Yes," she answered emphatically as she got to her feet.

He copied her movement and received an odd, childish thrill at being those few inches taller than her.

"How so?" he asked, "I don't wish to annoy you, Erza."

She used jerky, restrained movements to pull out the necessary money to pay for the meal from her pocket. She glared at Jellal all the while and even hissed.

"You're annoying me right now," she told him through gritted teeth as she dropped the money on the table.

"No," she ordered, pointing at him, "I know what you're going to say…so don't."

Jellal snapped his mouth closed and frowned at her as she stepped away from the table and began to stride towards the exit. He rather sluggishly followed and, once they were on the streets again, he tried to get her to explain what was going on in her head.

"Erza," he implored. He had always thought he would be fine if Erza hated him, it would be what he deserved after all, but it was quite a different matter to know he was somehow annoying her. He stared at her while they walked, waiting for her to say or do anything.

He also found himself fighting the urge to hug her; he did tend to get clingy when he was tired. Mentally berating himself, Jellal held his hands in fists at his sides to stop from actually acting on that urge.

Erza sighed grumpily, "Fine, I find it annoying that you're always tiptoeing around me, you don't want to annoy me and that very fact annoys me."

Jellal frowned and tried to think of an appropriate response, then he inwardly facepalmed as he realised that that was basically what Erza meant, she didn't want him to control everything he said and did.

_Fine._

"Do you want me to annoy you then, Erza?" he questioned, "On purpose that is."

"Yes," she answered, "Wait…no, oh I don't know what I want."

"Clearly," said Jellal dryly just before his mouth opened up in a jaw cracking yawn, "What attack plan trap mage happen…?"

Erza snorted and looked over at him as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"You _do_ know that last sentence made no sense, don't you?" she asked in amusement.  
He mumbled something under his breath sleepily. Erza grabbed his arm to stop him from shuffling into a pedestrian.

"That's it," Erza said decisively, "You need to sleep, we're going back to the Inn, I'll try coming up with a plan while you rest, no protesting!"

Jellal's mind felt heavy, as did his limbs and eyelids, sleep certainly did sound like a good idea.

"Mmkay," he mumbled, leaning onto Erza and allowing his eyes to fall closed.

"No sleeping yet!" Erza scolded, though she did nothing to stop him and only wrapped her arm around him. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, wondering for the rest of the journey back to the Inn about the mage behind all of the attacks.

At the entrance of the Inn, Erza jabbed her fingers into Jellal's side and he jerked back into the land of the fully conscious.

"We're here," Erza told him pointlessly.

He blinked and nodded as he rubbed at his eyes again. She pushed open the door and led him back up to their room, managing to avoid the questions of Mr Davden who was quite eager to hear details about the attack on the aquarium.

Before she closed their room door on the man's face, Erza explained that no-one was hurt in the attack and that she and Jellal were getting ever closer to catching the culprit. The door closed with a 'click' and she turned to see that Jellal was half asleep against the doorway of the bathroom. She laughed softly and shook her head.

"Idiot," she muttered fondly as she crossed over to him.

His cheek was squished up against the frame and his blue hair partially covered his face. Erza frowned as she realised the residue from whatever was in that magic water earlier was still sitting on the top of Jellal's head. Her face turned the colour of her hair and she winced, recalling her offer of helping him wash it out.

"Jellal," she prompted, poking his shoulder, "Stop drooling on the doorway."

He frowned and pried his eyes opening as he protested, "Not drooling…"

He slowly straightened up and blearily glanced around, spotting the shower in the small room behind him. He was struck by the sudden awareness of the sand like substance in his hair and the need to be clean.

"I'm gonna shower," he muttered, stepping into the bathroom.

Erza's eyes widened and then she nodded and moved away to sit on the end of the bed. Jellal gracelessly shrugged out of his cloak and then remembered to close the door of the bathroom.

_That would've been awkward_, he thought, imagining if he had forgotten to shut himself in the room while he undressed. Fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and also trying to remove his boots, Jellal very nearly lost his balance and had to throw his hand out and catch the wall.

The shirt came off, as did the boots and socks; he studied the room as he struggled to undo his belt. The shower was simple and had no curtain or anything to divide it from the rest of the room.

_Bad luck if anyone walks in on you_, thought Jellal. He reached in and set the water going.

Erza meanwhile, was sitting perfectly still, trying to stop herself from thinking about Jellal undressing in the next room.

_Focus, Erza!_ She ordered herself, _Remember; we're not going to let him affect us anymore. Professional thoughts only!_

She crossed her arms and set her face determinedly, forcing her thoughts to turn to the mission. _No-one's been hurt in the attacks, what is the real motive? Hmm, so the public gardens were targeted…no, specifically it was the fountain._

Erza made a thoughtful sound and continued her musings, _and then the baths…why those places?_

She got to her feet and strode around the room in a loop, an expression of deep concentration settling on her face. Her pacing brought her near the bathroom door and she heard the steady spray of the water.

"Water," she whispered in realisation, "Water is the connection!"

Adrenaline and excitement surged inside her; she grinned triumphantly and immediately wanted, no, _needed_ to share her epiphany with her mission partner. She charged over to the bathroom door and unthinkingly shoved it open.

And there he was.

Jellal, slick and glistening with water, his back to her as he stood under the heated spray of water. The dark blue Crime Sorciere guild mark rested on his right shoulder blade and begged to be kissed.

She gulped and couldn't pry her eager gaze from the smooth, muscled feast that was his body. He hadn't noticed her yet, surprising considering the startled gasp she had let out upon seeing him.

Her blood was simmering, heating her with desire even as a small voice in her head screamed that she was doing something wrong.

_Turn around, Jellal_, a stronger voice in her head called, _show me more, show me _everything.

She bit her lip and let her eyes glide down his back to his ass. Her hands clenched with the need to dig her nails into that glorious flesh. Jellal raised his arms to his head, catching her attention as he rubbed his hands through his dripping blue hair.

Erza traced the movements of his arm, shoulder and back muscles as they gilded and flexed because of his actions. Oh how she wanted to touch him, wanted to get as close as possible, rub against him, taste, bite, suck and grab him.

"Mmm," she moaned lowly at the barrage of images that invaded her mind, as they added to the one standing before her, coated in steam and water.

Then Jellal turned around. He had a frown on his face as he had finally noticed that something was off. He jerked upon seeing Erza standing in the doorway.

"Erza!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide, his startled movement causing him to slip and fall backwards. He hissed as his skin made contact with the cold shower wall and his hands flew to cover between his legs as a blush coloured his face.

Erza's heart thudded erratically in her chest, she'd been caught! A flush to match Jellal's came to her cheeks.

"What are you doing!?" Jellal questioned.

"I, um…"

Shit, she couldn't even remember. Her brain could only focus on the drops of water as they trickled down Jellal's hair and landed on his chest, making their way along the definition of his muscles. He could feel her eyes roaming his body, heading steadily lower.

He swallowed hard and instinctively checked to make sure he was covered up completely. Erza's gaze was making his skin tingle with awareness. He had an odd thought then, that if this had happened when he was Siegrain, he would've handled it in a completely different way.

He probably wouldn't have fallen on his ass, he would've been confident and it's very likely that he would've made some comment about Erza joining him in the shower.

_Shit!_ He thought_, do _not_ think about that!_

The idea sent a bolt of heat straight down his spine. He was chanting expletives mentally now, as well as commands to keep calm.

"Erza," he stressed, "Get out of here already!"

It would be hard enough to look her in the eyes after this incident _without_ adding in the awkwardness of her witnessing him, well, getting hard.

"Out!" he hissed, slamming his eyes shut to close off the visual of her intense expression.

Erza snapped herself into action and fled the bathroom, roughly pulling the door closed behind her.

"What have I done?" she breathed as her skin lost all hints of her earlier blush, "What was I thinking?"

She covered her face with her hands and groaned. She could still see him in her mind's eye and the image was _not_ helping to calm her fluttering heart. She grumbled under her breath, frustrated at the fact Jellal could affect her.

It didn't really make sense to her, she had seen Gray, Natsu and others naked before and it didn't bother her at all, why was this any different?

Jellal. Naked. Water. Everywhere. His eyes wide with surprise. She winced, remembering that she hadn't even been able to answer his question about why she had gone in there.

_Relax, Erza_, she ordered herself, _Just explain and everything will be fine_.

The sound of a loud expletive carried through from the bathroom, along with a dull thump.

_He's probably panicking as much as I am_, Erza consoled herself,_ but I just need to remember why…yes! Water! That's why I burst in there!_

Of course then her mind provided her with the startlingly clear memory of exactly what she had burst in on. She blushed and whispered a reminder to relax.

Her eyes widened, "Relax…the parfum of relaxation!"

A slightly manic smile spread on her face as she turned to face the bathroom door and dug out the vial from her pocket.

_He's probably panicking and embarrassed; I'll hit him with this and then explain! Everything will be fine_, she attempted to convince herself.

It was a moment later that the door opening, revealing a fully dressed and slightly blushing Jellal.

"Erza," he said seriously, "Why-"

Before he could finish his question, she uncorked the vial of magic perfume and shoved it into his face.

He coughed and spluttered, "What the-"

Then he fell forward, unintentionally tackling her to the floor in a tangle of limbs. He groaned right next to her ear and the sound caused a tingling wave to roll through her.

"J-jellal?" she asked hesitantly.

He slowly raised his head up and stared down at her with heated green eyes. She froze. He was smirking at her.

"J-jellal?" it was more of a squeak this time.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I like it when you say my name, Erza."

Her surprise at her plan backfiring kept her from immediately pushing him away.

"U-unbelievable," she mumbled in shock, "that was _not_ the parfum of relaxation…"

At least not in the way she wanted it to be.

**AN: Some of you are putting things together, particularly those of you who have read my gruvia fic (its clear as day if you've read it, like seriously) But anyway, if you know whats going on, sshhhhh, keep it to yourself! Just say "i know whats going on!" or 'i think im getting it now' if you have to say something. Just think of the people who are just starting on this fic and who might look at reviews, we don't want to completely ruin it for people, now do we? ;)**

**PS- please note that im not happy with this chapter at all .**


End file.
